Reversed Reality
by Kage no Ryunin
Summary: What if Phobos wasn't the bad one? A five-year-old genius Elyon turns evil and kills their parents, forcing her ten-year-old brother to flee Meridian and seek refuge on earth with the help of Galgheita, AKA Mrs. Rudolph. He hides there for seven years, waiting, until now. The Guardians have arisen, and with their help Phobos will take back his world. Pairings undecided.
1. Prologue

Reversed Reality

By Kage no Ryunin

Rating: T

Summary: What if Phobos wasn't the bad one? A five-year-old genius Elyon turns evil and kills their parents, forcing her ten-year-old brother to flee Meridian and seek refuge on earth with the help of Galgheita, AKA . He hides there for seven years, waiting for an opportunity, until now. The Guardians have arisen, and with their help Phobos will take back his world.

Prologue

Smoke.

It filled the room, choking him, stealing his breath in a pungent gray-black cloud of death. He coughed, hacked violently into his arm. If only he hadn't been asleep, had been more aware, perhaps he could be out by now. As it was, he was on the floor of his room and growing steadily weaker as the fumes invaded his lungs. It was strange . . . He could feel the heat, but heard no blaze. There was no snapping, no crackling of flames as they devoured the wood of the floor. It was as though there was no fire at all.

And then her voice, small and high-pitched, cut through the cloud into his ears.

"Brother."

It wasn't a question. There was no 'where are you', no 'are you alright'. Simply acknowledgment that he was there somewhere. His eyes squeezed themselves shut, and water streaked down his cheeks, and he was not sure how much was from the smoke and how much was tears And yet part of him denied what he knew to be true. His darling sister was still in there. She had to be. He lifted his face, forcing his eyes to open despite the sting, and be could dimly see her outline through the haze.

He coughed again, even more forcefully than before, and rasped painfully through a hoarse throat.

"Elyon- help me. Please."

And then, as she spoke again, his heart dropped. There was no emotion her sweet voice, though sweet was no longer an accurate description. There was merely ice and the slightest hint of venom. His beloved sister had truly gone, leaving a cold and heartless creature in her wake.

"And why should I? I conjured this smoke for this very purpose, Phobos. You should know that calling for help will do you no good. The servants are unconscious and Mother and Father no longer with us. Give in to me."

Phobos stared at the five-year-old in horror. Zaden and Weira- dead? At their daughter's hands? Impossible!

But as he reached out in an attempt to connect with their magical energies like always, he was forced to see the truth of Elyon's claim. The links were severed, frayed at the ends and completely cut. He howled in anguish despite the smoke inhalation, and the girl just stared impassively. Now he was sure that he was crying- not only for their parents, but the little girl that was now lost in the void of the hardened messenger of evil.

Phobos's sorrow turned to anger, boiled, bubbled to the surface like the inferno that should be causing the smoke. He glared at her, and a small wind that he had no doubt subconsciously conjured blew a path through the grayness for him to see her face in complete clarity. And that look- that slight, smug smirk of satisfaction- drove him over the edge.

Phobos roared, facing the ceiling and the sky beyond, as he released a massive wave of pure power directly at Elyon. Without time to react the girl was knocked off her feet and sent flying against the wall. After a moment the energy cut off and Phobos collapsed wearily before forcing himself to his feet.

The ten-year-old thought quickly. He had minutes before the fumes killed him; he had to get out of his room. The smoke was confined to there. His sister would be fine, being the conjurer- despite her turning she was still family and he didn't wish death upon her. He fumbled around for the door, and stumbled out into the clear air of the hallway. He breathed deeply, spitting in an attempt to dispel some of the putrid taste in his mouth, before breaking out in a run.

He hung a sharp right, skidding as he made the sharp turn, and saw the doors straight ahead that lead out onto the terrace. As he reached the balcony, he launched himself off the parapet and used his powers to keep himself in the air. He swooped as fast as he possibly could, zooming over the lands and to the sky over the city. He scanned the area, spying his destination and rocketing straight for the door of what he knew to be Galgheita's cottage on the outskirts. Galgheita was a trusted family friend, and keeper of Phobos's seal. She was his only option.

He pulled up sharply, just in time to avoid bashing Galgheita's door in. Rather, he slammed it open, rushing in and frantically explaining the situation to the Meridianite. The words came out garbled in his desperation, but Galgheita took it in stride. She retrieved the box that held the Seal of Phobos and allowed the owner to remove the precious object. The box was coded to Phobos's magical energy, and he was the only person who could possibly open it.

Galgheita morphed into her human form, blond, green eyed and young, and grabbed Phobos's hand. The boy took a moment to steel himself, turning to her uncertainly. "Are you sure you want to come with me? Even with the seal, we cannot return. It will be far too dangerous."

Galgheita nodded determinedly. "I could not think of leaving you to make this journey alone, and I hear that Earth has strict rules regarding adult supervision. I am coming."

Phobos gave a tiny dip of his head, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He held out his hand that held the seal and gestured with it sharply. His other hand held Galgheita's in a viselike grip, and they stepped through the blue opening into the light of an unknown future.

Behind them the portal shrank, slowly diminishing into nothing just as soldiers burst into the cottage. Many would speculate that Phobos's great power had sealed it shut. Others would believe that the Guardians had been waiting on the other side. Neither was true.

But in a dresser, in Heatherfield, in the back room of the Silver Dragon, the heart of Kandracar glowed brightly as Yan Lin gazed at it with solemn eyes. Somehow the portal-sealing feature of the Heart had been activated, and it disturbed her greatly. Trouble had befallen Meridian, and the Veil would become all the more important.

Soft footsteps echoed down the hall, and Yan Lin closed the cabinet door just as her granddaughter appeared in the doorway. Twin pigtails swayed as she stopped, and a teddy bear was squeezed tightly in the crook of her elbow.

"Grandma, I think heard something funny." Five-year-old Hay Lin yawned, and Yan Lin realized that it was well past her bedtime.

"It was nothing, darling. Now go to sleep. If your Mom and Dad learn that you're up so late, they might not let you sleep over here anymore."

Hay Lin's mouth formed an O, and footsteps pattered up the stairs and quickly disappeared. Yan Lin sighed heavily.

For now, she would wait for news from Meridian, and hope that things would eventually be right.

A/N- Aaaaaaand, cut!

W.I.T.C.H. has struck my recent fancy! Sorry DD fans, I'm taking a break. My Naruto muse is plumb tuckered out. :( I'll be back eventually, but please have patience.

Please excuse any lacking-ness of this writing. I did most of it from my iPod Touch, and I don't have as good ability when I use that. Sorry!

Until next time! Maybe then I'll use my computer and rewrite this first chappie. :)

-Dragon


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- Guardians

Caleb crouched on a parapet in the pouring rain, green eyes scanning the walls for guards. Seeing none, he ran quickly across the ramparts and ducked inside the castle. He crept past the snoring watchman and opened a chest with a creak. It revealed a great collection of swords, and his eyes narrowed in disgust.

"The Princess steals our weapons to use against us." He closed the lid gently, and looked around. His gaze alighted upon a bow and arrows hanging on a wall. He dashed over to retrieve them, lifting the curved instrument off of its hook. He looked at it carefully, recognizing the make. "Aldarn's father made this bow."

He slung the weapon across his back, moved to the barrels of gunpowder and began dropping them out the window. They hit the water below with a splash, where he knew Aldarn was fishing them out. He continued until a call came from behind.

"Hey, you!"

Caleb's head snapped around, and he saw two guards, one having woken the other. "Looks like plan B," he muttered. He jumped off the barrels, grabbing a rope and swinging to land atop a box. Under his arm he held another barrel, and he plucked a torch off the wall, sticking in into the top and throwing it at the guards. The grotesque creatures managed to avoid it as it detonated with a fearsome bang.

A horn blared, and Caleb knew that his time was up. The alarm had been sounded, and he had to get out of there. He threw another barrel, using the bow to shoot a flaming arrow into the wood. It blasted a hole in the wall, and as the smoke cleared he launched himself out the opening. For a moment he was in freefall, but he hit the water in a smooth dive.

He resurfaced and took a deep gulp of air, in time to hear Aldarn's shout. "Caleb- behind you!"

Caleb turned to be face to face with a monstrous serpent. A spear appeared in its throat, thrown by Aldarn, and the green man helped the human out of the water. They both froze as an arrow embedded itself in the bank next to them, and more kept coming. Aldarn was about to bring a barrel of gunpowder, but he took Caleb's shout to heart and turned and ran.

The both sprinted down the path, and continued running even after they were out of range.

**-Reverse-**

The morning in Heatherfield was stormy, the darkened skies releasing a torrent of water down on the town. Puddles formed, street-side rivers ran, and lightning tore a rift in the sky.

Hay Lin stood in front of her window, gazing at the downpour. Finishing her drink, she walked over to her desk and quickly packed her bag. She started for the door, but before she reached the frame she erupted in a violent sneezing fit. The walls shook, books and papers flew, and her door slammed shut.

Downstairs, Yan Lin heard the racket and glanced at the ceiling curiously. Hm . . . could it be?

_Creeeeeeeeeeak_

She turned and saw it- pink light spilling from the cabinet, the same place it had seven years ago. Yan Lin stepped over to it, yanked the doors open fully, and gasped. It was true. The Heart of Kandracar was glowing.

The time of the Guardians had returned.

"Grandma?"

Yan Lin slammed the dresser door shut, and whipped around.

"I sneezed and, like, totally trashed my room. What's wrong with me?" Hay Lin put her hands on her hips as if having realized something. "It's not one of those 'becoming a woman' things, is it?"

Yan Lin grinned awkwardly, and they talked for a minute as the old woman tried desperately to hold the doors shut. Hay Lin became suspicious of the light that came through for a moment, and Yan Lin smashed it closed.

She desperately changed the subject, still holding the dresser shut. The names came to her mind as the Heart designated its wielders. "You could invite some friends for an after school snack! Like . . . Cornelia! And uh, Taranee! And, oh that funny girl Irma!"

Hay Lin smiled. "Sure! And that new girl, Will! Huh, I wonder why I thought of her."

Yan Lin resisted a smile as Hay Lin's Guardian status was confirmed. The Heart had influenced her, guided her decision, and now the Guardians numbered five. The cabinet rattled again, and she shooed Hay Lin from the house. It wouldn't do to have her know early, now would it?

**-Reverse-**

Phobos stood idly on the sidewalk, people- watching with heightened magic receptors outside the middle school. He hadn't attended the public schools, seeing as he would know none of the material, but he had illusioned a few people and gotten a license for Galgheita to home-school him under the alias of Gertrude Rudolph. Afterward he had felt a bit bad, but the fate of Meridian was far more important than a few men.

It had taken them weeks of people-watching from their exit of the portal just like this to learn the basics of Earth life, and even then it had required at least two years before Phobos and Galgheita could walk outside confidently and know that they wouldn't stand out too much. Phobos had taken on an alias of his own, Phillip Meridi, seeing as his real name was not exactly common on Earth.

As he leaned against the wall that kept him out of the schoolyard, a car pulled up, and as the door opened his heightened magic sensitivity was slammed with a rush of power. His skull crashed against the stone, and he cried out, rubbing the back of his head. When he could see straight again, he identified the power's source. It was a girl, about thirteen with bright red hair. The power rolled off her in waves, and Phobos hurriedly turned off the keen senses. His eyes followed her as she entered the school, Sheffield Institute, and he realized something. That power wasn't awakened. It was sitting dormant within the girl, waiting. He drew a sharp breath.

The Guardians were soon to return.

**-Reverse-**

Caleb and Aldarn ran as fast as their legs could take them, trying desperately to escape the army that was after them.

"I told you to bring a rope!" Aldarn shouted at Caleb.

"Yeah, you also told me I couldn't get into the castle. Here, take your father's bow. At least it won't be used against u-whooooaaaaaaaa!"

He skidded to a stop on his butt, nearly falling into a gorge. The armies behind them roared, and they agreed on a crazy idea.

They leapt down into the gorge.

Caleb landed with an ooph on the back of a hoogong and he and Aldarn struggled to get hold of the large feathered beasts. When they finally did, they ran across the bottom of the gorge where the dark creatures couldn't follow.

Caleb smirked.

**-Reverse-**

Phobos quickly looped around the back of the school, senses on high alert, when there was another much smaller echo of power. It felt . . . solid. Unmovable. He reasoned that it was the power of the Earth guardian. All in all it was slightly disappointing, the concentration being much less dense than that of the redhead. Reaching out he could feel nothing, but seven years of hiding had taught him patience. He could wait a while longer.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. For a minute it rang.

"Yessss?"

Phobos's lips curled up in a smile. "Cedric. I found them. Meridian has hope."

**-Reverse-**

"Hey, thanks for the invitation. When are we eating again?"

Will stood oblivious to the disbelieving stares as Hay Lin gave her instructions to get to the Silver Dragon. "And then it's right on the corner. It really sticks out, so you can't miss it. Be there at four."

Cornelia flipped her hair. "Ugh, she invited New Girl too?"

Irma and Taranee glared. "Cornelia!"

There was awkward silence, which Will broke by holding out a box. "Want a cookie?"

**-Reverse-**

"The interlopers escaped the guards. We suspect that they will head for the mountains."

A man, silver haired with a voice that seemingly shimmered, knelt at the feet of a young blond-haired girl about twelve years old. She sat in an ornate throne, surrounded by twisting blood red roses that gave her an impressive presence despite her small stature. Her hair was in two braids tipped with metal rings, and her green dress suggested purity, but when you looked at her face you could see that innocence had long abandoned her blue eyes.

"This is unacceptable."Her voice, however high-pitched and juvenile, was cold and felt far older than the girl was. "The more success the rebels have, the more the peasants gain courage to rise up against me. This matter is far too important to leave to those bumbling idiotic beasts that we call guards."

The man looked up. "Yes, my Princess." His green eyes burned silver, and his body rippled. In a moment he became a blob of liquid silver in a vaguely human shape. "I will handle it myself."

The girl's lips twisted in a sickening smile that looked all too out of place on her features as the creature collapsed into a gelatinous puddle and oozed out through the cracks in the floor. When he was gone, she rose from her seat and placed a hand in front of herself. A hologram of sorts rose from the floor of her ten-year-old brother. She bored holes in it with her gaze, before waving her hand to dispel the image with an angry growl. She sat down again and said venomously, "I _will_ get you, brother. Wherever you have hidden, I will find you." Her face formed that warped smile again.

"Count on it."

**-Reverse-**

At the Silver Dragon the five girls sat in awkward silence.

"Sooo," Taranee tried, "Will. Where did you go to school before Sheffield?"

Cornelia rolled her eyes. "Hellooo? Who cares? Has anyone noticed weird stuff happening around _me_ lately?"

Irma looked peeved. "Oh dear! The conversation has _accidentally_ wandered away from Cornelia's life. Whatever were we thinking?"

As the others shared a laugh at Cornelia's expense, Yan Lin walked in. "Enjoying your food?"

There was collective assent. Irma lifted a finger. "But the important thing is how Cornelia is enjoying _her_ food."

There was another all-around laugh as Yan Lin placed a box on the table. "What's in the box, Grandma?" Asked Hay Lin.

Yan Lin smiled knowingly. "Let me tell you girls a story that I believe will have a special meaning for all five of you."

Hay Lin giggled nervously. "Grandma, they really don't want to hear a story."

Yan Lin shushed her, and poked the air to her right. From the point her finger touched, light rippled out and formed a solar system with a centric sun and four surrounding planets.

"Long ago, the universe was a single kingdom governed by good. And for many years it stayed that way. But evil did as evil does, and without fail began to take root on one of the four lands. A Veil was put into place to isolate the evil kingdom of Meridian from the other worlds. Without the protection of the Veil, every world including our own is in terrible danger. Meridian has been overtaken by a powerful entity named Elyon. But she is not the legitimate ruler. Her older brother, Prince Phobos, the true heir, was forced to flee Meridian as a young boy when his little sister was possessed by evil, and seek refuge here on Earth. That was seven years ago. He would be seventeen now."

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a second." Irma interrupted. "If Phobos was ten years old when he left, his sister had to be nine at the oldest and still powerful enough to destroy a kingdom." She sat back and folded her arms. "As much as I love to hear about power to the children, I'd really like to wake up now."

Yan Lin continued her tale as though nothing had happened. "But portals have been opening in the Veil, doorways through which evil can cross between worlds. There are people called Guardians whose job it is to close these holes using their powers." She snapped her fingers and the illusion faded back onto the kitchen. "I became a Guardian when I was your age. But now the duty is being passed to your generation."

Cornelia stood, placing her hands on her hips. "Well, thanks for the snacks."

Yan Lin raised a finger. "Ah ah ah!"

Cornelia sighed and sat down again.

Yan Lin opened the box that had lain forgotten on the table, and pulled out a glowing pink orb on a necklace string. "This," she said, staring at it reverentially, "is the Heart of Kandracar, which contains the elementary forces of nature. In the last few days, you have all had unusual experiences, am I right?"

Irma looked uncertain. "Not counting this one?"

Yan Lin ignored her as usual. "You have all begun to notice extraordinary abilities. Irma, you will have found any water near you to be acting strangely." And sure enough, when Irma lifted her straw the water formed a looping spiral in the air.

"Okay." She said, blinking. "Alrighty."

"Taranee," said Yan Lin, turning to the girl in question. "I believe you have always been afraid of fire. But focus now on the candle."

Taranee lifted a trembling finger and whoosh! A tiny ball of fire shot from the tip, barely missing the candle and setting fire to a banana. Irma hurriedly sent water to extinguish it. Taranee looked at her hand in wonder.

"My little Hay Lin," Yan Lin said fondly. "This morning you noticed your power over air."

Hay Lin's eyes widened. That was what her sneezing fit had been about! As Yan Lin held up a lantern she blew and the paper filled out into a full circular lantern.

"And to Cornelia is given the power of-"

"No."

All the others looked at Cornelia, who had stood placing her hands on the table defiantly. "What?"

"I said no. I refuse to be a part of some freak show!" She picked up her things, and Yan Lin called after her.

"Without you the Guardians are incomplete! Their power is not strong enough alone!"

"I don't care!" And the door slammed shut.

Yan Lin hung her head in worry. "This is not good," she said. "With only four, the Guardians are incomplete and weaker. Without Cornelia . . ." she trailed off.

"Um . . . Mrs. Lin?" Will raised a hand slightly. "Uh, what do I do? There are four elements, and I'm assuming Cornelia was earth, so . . . what am I?"

Yan Lin snapped back to the present. "Oh yes. Will. One Guardian is the Keeper, and the one to tie the other four together. With the Heart of Kandracar she unites them, summoning and magnifying their powers." She released the Heart and it drifted over to Will to land around her neck. "You have another power as well. I was not planning to reveal it to you, but if Cornelia does not come around you will need every bit of help you can get. You have Quintessence, Pure Energy, to channel as you can." Will held out a finger and a tiny bolt of what looked like lightning zapped the same banana as Taranee had hit earlier, birthing a small flame for the second time.

Irma sighed and doused it. "Now we all have to wear yellow tomorrow to honor this poor fruit's life. Why couldn't it have been a grape or something?"

Taranee stood. "So, recap. We've gotta protect the world from evil by repairing holes in some kind of veil, and do it one member short?"

Irma clenched her fist. "This is so cool! When can we start?"

Yan Lin looked grave. "You already have, but you can truly begin by retrieving Cornelia. There is a rebellion in Meridian, but their leader is in danger. A dark and difficult time is coming, and without the fifth member I fear that it may be even harder. Many good people will need your help. Girls, all of you have been chosen as the new Guardians of the Veil."

**-Reverse-**

Elyon stood in front of her throne and placed a hand in front of her. From the floor there rose a green fog, and inside of that fog it showed a hologram of the blond guardian.

"_I said no. I refuse to be a part of some freak show!"_

Elyon gazed at the image as the girl stormed away into the fog and out of sight. She gestured with her hand and the smoky image vanished.

"Interesting . . ."

**-Reverse-**

The hoogongs, tired from the breakneck run, had deteriorated into a snail's pace. Caleb swung himself off the feathered creature. "We can walk faster than this." Aldarn followed him to the ground. "Thanks for the ride. How much do I owe you?" The poor hoogongs collapsed on the spot.

"The infinite city is still an hour's walk, Caleb." Said Aldarn.

"For you maybe. I'm not going."

"What?"

"I head something from my informant," Caleb explained, "Elyon has figured out that her brother is on Earth. She knew he was alive, but he was safe without her knowing his location. I need to find a portal. If we don't locate him before Elyon does, Meridian and Earth are both doomed. Tell the fighters to stay strong, and the rest not to worry. I hope to see you soon Aldarn."

And they both ran off in different directions.

Caleb moved quickly, scaling the side of a mountain. As he reached the top, he rested, but was rudely disturbed by a tentacle of liquid silver snaking its way up around his arm. He yanked himself out of its grasp, and the tendril withdrew to form a humanoid form standing in front of him. A voice vibrated from its depths. "How can something so small be so troublesome?"

The silver mass formed a giant tail, and slammed Caleb off the top of the rock form.

**-Reverse-**

"Yes! A perfect place to practice our powers!"

"I just wish we could have gotten Cornelia to come along," said Will anxiously, biting her lip.

Irma waved her hand dismissively. "Oh please. She would probably just be insulting Hay Lin's grandma and whining about how her outfit might get dirty."

Will ignored the further conversation, placing the Heart around her neck. It immediately began to glow, and she was lifted into the air. "Aaagh! Whoa! Guardians, unite!"

The Heart released a massive surge of energy.

**-Reverse-**

Phobos, wandering through the streets, was suddenly overtaken by a colossal wave of magical power that could only be one thing.

"The Guardians," he breathed.

He pinpointed the source and broke into a sprint.

**-Reverse-**

Hay Lin giggled as a tentacle of silver light spiraled up around her before zapping her into a silver-blue cocoon of energy.

Taranee struggled not to hyperventilate as her feet were encircled by a vine of fire and her body was engulfed in a sphere of flame.

Irma gave a shout of glee as she was surrounded by a tendril of water and encased in a pulsing globe of blue.

Will's consciousness felt like it was overloading as her vision washed pink and her very genetic makeup was rewritten.

They all circled as they were remade, and morphed into their forms of power. Wings sprouted, cells aged, atoms split and reformed. Light flashed and suddenly they were upright, standing reborn from the Heart.

The Guardians were once more.

**-Reverse-**

Phobos was nearly bowled straight off his feet as the power surged again and newer, stronger magical presences were created.

The Guardians were back, and Meridian now stood a fighting chance.

He redoubled his pace.

**-Reverse-**

The four girls stood in new attire, and their senses buzzed with new awareness.

"Holy cow!" Will said breathlessly.

Irma straightened and pointed at Taranee. "You know, somehow I can't imagine your grandma wearing that."

"What have we got behind us," asked Hay Lin, struggling to get a look at her back.

"Wings," said Taranee disbelievingly. "They're wings."

Will shook her head. "They can't be wings. If they were wings, when we went like this we would- whooooaaaa!"

"Yup, I'm pretty sure they're wings." Said Irma.

"Aw man!" Taranee slumped. "I hate heights. I get woozy in high heeled shoes!"

"Whooo!" Hay Lin zipped past Will, who was flying rather clumsily, with speed and agility that suggested that she had been doing this her whole life. Will was sent in circles as Hay Lin's energy was shown. "Hey does anyone have a camera? Or a cell phone? Or a- ooph!" In her hyperness she forgot to look where she was going and slammed into a bridge support. She recovered quickly though, and was back to zooming every which way in seconds.

"This totally rocks!" Irma exclaimed giddily. She pointed at Taranee. "You do something!"

Taranee lifted a nervous hand and a fireball erupted from her fingertip. It made loops and swirls in the air before slamming a bride support- coincidentally, the same one Hay Lin had bashed earlier.

"See? That's exactly why I don't like fire! Irma, you're water, put it out!"

Irma thrust her palms forward and a jet of water erupted, dousing the fire but abusing the bridge support even further. "Dang, by the time we're done, that pillar will be one sad little pile of toothpicks."

This belief was furthered when Will accidentally sent a lightning bolt into the base, setting up a fire which Irma once again had to extinguish.

"Actually, the whole bridge will be toothpicks."

**-Reverse-**

It was dark when Phobos finally reached the sight of the power surge, and he was rewarded by the sight of three girls standing around in full Guardian form. He hid behind a bridge support, and his face took on a pensive look, wondering where the other two were. The Air Guardian was probably off zooming somewhere, but what other was missing?

"Alright," he heard the redhead say, "It's getting late, and I think we've destroyed enough of Heatherfield for today." The Heart of Kandracar- the power left Phobos slightly breathless, and he turned off his magic receptors- drifted out from within her chest and hovered above her hand. It pulsed pink, and they all glowed briefly. When the light was gone there left behind three ordinary pre-teens that seemed much less physically mature than seconds ago. Phobos supposed that it made sense, that to be a Guardian and sport the wings you needed more maturity.

"Where did Hay Lin go?" The one with the auburn hair asked.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" A streak fell from the sky and collided with a pile of boxes. That, Phobos assumed, was the Air Guardian, evidently called Hay Lin.

"Never mind," said the one who had asked.

**-Reverse-**

Caleb tumbled down the rocky slope- which, I might add, was not a fun experience- as the silver creature lengthened into a giant snakelike rope and slithered down after him. He managed to get to his feet, and run of his own volition toward the portal waiting just ahead.

Behind him the silver snake drew nearer

**-Reverse-**

Phobos drew a sharp breath as a rift, a vacuum that seemed to suck up power from things around it, emerged from the open air. The other three girls were walking away, and Hay Lin was the only one besides the Prince to see it.

"Uh, guys?" She said uncertainly.

"Come on Hay Lin, you can lie in garbage anytime," said Auburn-hair.

"I really think you ought to check this out!" _Yes_, thought Phobos. _You really should_.

"Check what out?" The black girl turned around and Phobos resisted the urge to facepalm. Could they really not hear the portal? It was actually pretty darned loud. The girl gasped. "What's that?"

"Don't touch it!"

"Gah!" A boy, about Phobos's age, was violently flung out of the portal and into the garbage pile next to Hay Lin. Phobos looked into the portal and could just make out a silver outline- oh no.

He retracted his head around the pillar and quickly placed an illusion around himself. His palms started to sweat and he put as much magic as he could spare into the deception, giving himself dark brown hair and brown eyes that were nearly black. He couldn't be seen by that thing, not with his normal appearance. He just hoped that in his haste he hadn't made a mistake with the illusion.

The black skinned Guardian was beginning to panic, and she yelled frantically to the redhead. "Will, the necklace! Change us back!" The newly named Will seemed to be frozen in fear. "Now, now! Hurry!"

Will finally seemed to snap out of it, and spread her hands. "Guardians Unite!" Pink light spread from the Heart and engulfed them all, and when it cleared they were in their Guardian form. Will held out a hand. "Fire!"

"Me?" Asked the black girl. Apparently she was the Fire Guardian.

"Everybody!" The Four all put their hands out, the three outer beams connecting in the center with Will-

Wait, three?

And that was when Phobos realized it. There were only four Guardians. One of the elements was missing. It was either Earth or Water, and he reached out to the energy beams. The one coming from Auburn-hair felt flowing, gentle yet strong. Water. But he had felt Earth energy from the school just that day! It didn't make sense.

The pink lightning went every which way. Without the fifth Guardian, Will had no control over it.

"Close it!" The shout came from the boy, who was once again in the silver monster's grasp. "Close the portal!"

"How?"

"The thingy! Use the crystal," shouted Hay Lin.

Will reached with one hand and the Heart shot a fuchsia bolt into the blue, and the doorway sealed just as the boy was pulled to the other side. All of the girls were flung backwards into walls, and the Heart's energy died.

There was silence as the girls got to their feet and gazed where the portal had been. Phobos stared with them, but far more solemnly. Unlike the new Guardians, he knew the identity of that creature. He worked for Elyon. His name was Argentum, and his sister was Arum, literally silver and gold, for that was what they were. They could become any shape, any mold when they were in monster form. Their favorite method was a crude mockery of Cedric's transformation, the shape of a serpentine tail.

Cedric had been a great ally over the years. About three months after escaping Meridian, the snake man had come to Earth through a portal and found Phobos and Galgheita. With his help they were able to get much more done, as well as have updates on rebel movements. While Phobos couldn't contact the brave men who were fighting for his sake, that he could be aware of their status was a great comfort.

"He's . . . gone," murmured the Fire Guardian (he really needed to learn their names). "That thing got him."

Will hung her head and changed them back, and they wordlessly walked away. Phobos concealed himself behind a camouflage illusion and followed.

**-Reverse-**

"I see. What did he look like?"

Outside the Silver Dragon, Phobos stood against the wall with his hearing amped up and focused on the room that they were in. He could hear the conversation loud and clear, and was hoping to learn why the Earth Guardian wasn't present.

"I . . . don't know. He was just a boy. I happened so fast."

"Don't blame yourselves," said Yan Lin. There was the sound of liquid sloshing, and Phobos assumed that they were drinking something.

"It looked like this." Said Hay Lin. Paper rustled.

"Ah," said Yan Lin. "Lord Argentum."

"Lord," said the Water Guardian incredulously. "They got pretty low standards for knighthood over there."

"Argentum is not always in this form"

"Well that's good news for his wife."

"Irma, this is serious!" said Hay Lin. So the Water Guardian was Irma. That left Fire.

"I know! You think I'm not scared?"

"Ah, ah, ah. Don't fight. You only have each other, and you have begun an adventure which I'm afraid you will need all your talents and strength just to survive. That is why it is so vital that you get Cornelia to admit her destiny."

"She won't," said the Fire Guardian. "You heard her. She doesn't want to be a part of the 'freak show,' and I don't think she'll change her mind anytime soon."

Phobos blinked. The Earth Guardian had turned down her power? Who in their right mind would do such a thing? Even one of the socially obsessed fluffheads of modern society would jump at the chance right? Right?

Apparently not. And Meridian was in danger because of her.

**-Reverse-**

Lightning flashed outside the windows of the throne room, and as the Princess's fists clenched her roses grew. "Report," she said icily.

A silvery human-shaped splotch rose from the floor into a formless kneel before the features solidified into a face and a human emerged from the mass. In seconds the liquid metal was gone, leaving a silver-haired man with eerie green eyes. "We have the rebel leader, but I was ambushed at the portal by the Guardians."

"The Guardians are old women, Argentum."

"Oh, not so, my Princess. They are now young girls."

The girl leaned forward. "So," she said calculatingly, "the crystal has passed to a new generation. This could complicate the search for my brother. Finding him is essential if I am to maintain my power over Meridian. If he were to return . . ."

A small procession entered the throne room, lead by Vathyk. He knelt before the girl. "The troublemaker, Princess Elyon."

She looked at Caleb, chained between two guards, with no mercy. "You _will_ tell us the names of your fellow traitors in the rebellion."

"You'll hear nothing from me!"

"We will see." Elyon's face gave her signature cold smile as she ordered him away, and her roses grew around her, flourishing and feeding off her anger. She pet one of the blossoms, and laughed as the lighting struck.

**-Reverse-**

Phobos entered the Silver Dragon just as the girls were leaving, and sought out Yan Lin.

"Ma'am?"

The old woman looked up and smiled kindly. "I'm afraid we're closing in a few moments sir."

Phobos shook his head. "I'm not here to eat."

Her eyes flashed, and her hand discreetly slipped into her pocket. "Then what _are_ you here for? Even if you wish to make a reservation you will still have to wait."

He looked around to make sure that the shop was empty, and thrust out his palms face up. A curl of golden light spiraled up from the center of his right, and silver from his left, twisting into shapes that he had memorized in his young years. Yan Lin gasped as the ornate gilded circlet, with twisting shapes and designs, took form in the air above Phobos's right hand, and the pure silvery-white one in his left. The lights suddenly solidified, dulled, and dropped to hang from his fingers. He held them out.

"The crown of King Zaden, and that of Queen Weira, retrieved from Meridian for their son by Lord Cedric, loyal servant of Prince Phobos, a year after the Princess's takeover when the Prince fled their world." He dropped the illusion that he had held since the portal, long platinum blond hair and blue eyes coming to light. "I need your help, former Guardian. I have reason to believe that the boy in question that was captured by Argentum is the rebel leader, and my people need his leadership. Without the Earth Guardian, the others are incomplete. It is of utmost importance that she is recruited."

Yan Lin nodded urgently, flipped the 'closed' sign and gestured for him to follow her to the back room.

Before she could speak, Phobos said, "I ask for you to keep my identity a secret from the Guardians for now. They are inexperienced, and if my sister were to get them there is no telling what she would do. The fewer people who know, the better."

Yan Lin nodded yet again. "As much faith as I have in them, it is true that they are very new to this world. I will help you, and keep your identity a secret."

"That is all I ask." He bowed slightly. "Thank you, former Guardian."

"Please, call me Yan Lin."

He bowed again, and they sat and talked for the rest of the night.

As Phobos left the shop, he wondered what could be done about the Earth Guardian. He shook his head. He had a headache, and this was not helping. When morning came he could think of more plans. For now he would rest.

**-Reverse-**

**A/N- and cut!**

**Whoa! Super-ultra-mega long chappie! This is three times my norm! Say thank you!**

**I don't enjoy quoting. I don't. But I don't have enough confidence in my knowledge of characterization in this show, so I prefer to have guidelines. There is plenty of deviation, but please bear with the quotes. I'm sorry, but if I want to keep the structure I must. The very last scene was the only one I wrote from scratch, and it feels like it fell flat. Kay?**

**What do you think? Cedric is a good guy! Elyon has her own henchmen! Cornelia is a stuck up snob! Well, that last part wasn't new.**

**I don't like Cornelia, so this is my way to channel that dislike. Sorry, Cornelia lovers, she's just seriously overpowered and gets away with attitude that should not be allowed. She is ridiculously powerful, with Earth attacks three times the size of anything Taranee does EVER, and telekinesis when all that Will gets is talking electronics, has twice as much screen time as Taranee, Irma, and Hay Lin, and is a very unpleasant person. So no, I don't like her. Deal with it.**

**Recommend pairings for me! I'm especially fond of Taranee and hate Cornelia, so that will probably affect my decision. Bye!**

**-Dragon**


	3. Chapter 2

**No! Cornelia fans, please don't run away! She won't be this bad forever, I just need to release all my pent up frustration with her character imbalance. It will take a while, but eventually they will be WITCH. Cornelia will just be less ridiculously overpowered and Taranee, Irma, and Hay Lin will take more of a part.**

Chapter 2

Will, Taranee, Irma, and Hay Lin sat in the schoolyard before the start of classes discussing the events of the evening previous.

"That poor boy," said Will. "I wonder who he was."

"I wonder what that thing did to him," Hay Lin said anxiously, thinking about the silver creature.

"It's what it could have done to us that worries me," Taranee contradicted. "That's what we're supposed to fight with our so-called powers?"

"Ugh, I can't believe you guys are actually buying that voodoo stuff." The four turned to see Cornelia looking at them with a decidedly sour look on her face. "Hay Lin, no offense, but your grandmother is completely delusional."

Hay Lin folded her arms and glared slightly.

"Hey, Corny. Shut up, would you? Just because you don't believe something doesn't mean you have the right to insult someone's family."

"Don't call me Corny, Irmy. I'm not insulting her, just speaking the truth. She's bonkers, senile. You guys are just too stuck in Fairyland to see it."

Irma clenched her fists, and suddenly Cornelia's hair was damp. The blonde girl shrieked, and sprinted for the nearest bathroom. On the way a sudden gust of wind blew leaves into the locks and scrambled the tresses into a mass of tangles. Taranee looked dissatisfied.

"I can't do anything with fire without burning the whole school down," she said disappointedly.

Will looked a bit surprised. "I thought you guys were all tight, like best friends?"

Taranee shook her head. "We were, but Cornelia's been acting really stuck up for months now, and family is where you have to draw the line."

The bell rang and they went inside for class.

"It's picture day tomorrow. Do you guys get dressed up?"

"What? No!" There was a collective giggle.

"Cornelia started shopping for it in kindergarten," Irma deadpanned.

As they entered the classroom, Hay Lin wondered. "Where do you think that boy is now?"

**-Reverse-**

Caleb walked in the center of about ten guards watching, calculating. When the time was right he made his move, slamming one guard and using his chains to whack another. He ducked in and out of the mêlée, stepping on one guard and smashing into the next. He fought valiantly, but as more guards were called his efforts proved futile. He was surrounded and subdued, and taken to a cage. That cage was then lowered into a deep pit, where the bottom flipped out and Caleb was dumped unceremoniously onto the stone floor.

"Let's see how eternity in the Oubliette suits you, traitor." Vathyk's voice echoed down commandingly, and a moment later as the cage was retracted a chunk of bread hit the ground. A pair of grotesque green hands reached it just before Caleb, who grabbed the creature by the wrists and swung it around into the light.

"Blunk not scared, trade!" Its voice was nasal, and slightly annoying to Caleb. It held up a small dead creature. "Rat for bread? Good deal, yes." It tossed the carcass at Caleb, grabbed the bread, and scurried to the far wall.

That was when Caleb recognized the name of the creature, which if the name was right, was a Passling. "Blunk? You're that smuggler!"

"Businessman!" Blunk lifted a finger in protest.

Caleb shook his head in disbelief. "I didn't fight this long for freedom to perish in a hole with a talking pickle!"

Blunk laughed. "Pickle! Hahahaha- wait, what?"

"I saw the new Guardians. There are only four, they're new, and I have a feeling it's going to be a long wait to get rescued. I'll have to get out of here myself."

Blunk held up a skull. "Same thing he said! He mostly out of here, aren't you?" he moved the jaw up and down as if for the skull to answer. "Yes I am! Hahaha!"

Caleb, meanwhile, was attempting to scale the Oubliette wall. "Ugh, I've been in tougher places than this. Okay, maybe not smellier places."

"Too high," said Blunk dismissively. "Never make it."

"Have you ever tri- aaaaaaaahhh!" Caleb fell on his butt with a solid thump.

Blunk looked up at the out-of-sight ceiling. "Thirty-seven hundred times." He took another bite of the bread, hit a chunk, and spit it out. It landed at Caleb's feet, and despite the bread still clinging to it, he could tell it was a key. Blunk looked at his bread suspiciously before tossing it away.

Caleb unlocked his handcuffs. "Keep it. I don't plan to still be here for dinner."

**-Reverse-**

Vathyk and Argentum stood in front of the throne of roses. "Princess Elyon, we have located a portal." Argentum's voice was smooth.

"Use it, and bring me this girl."Elyon raised a hand and fog whispered out from between the stones in the floor. A hologram of a redheaded girl shimmered into view. "Without their leader, the Guardians are powerless, and an already lacking group will fall to pieces."

Argentum and Vathyk bowed, and Vathyk exited through the door.

"I will bring Arum as well." Argentum's eyes swirled and he dissolved, slipping out through the floor.

**-Reverse-**

"So when are we going to go rescue that guy, huh? Tonight?" Hay Lin was practically exploding with energy.

"Wait, we can rescue this guy after picture day, right?" Taranee looked jittery. "Call me a wimp, but in the school yearbook, I'd like to still have a face."

"Forget picture day!" Irma lifted her chin. "I don't care what I look like; I care about who I am! Let's go kick some Meridian butt! Maybe there'll be some cute evil boys over there, like the one that . . . silver thing caught."

"I want to go, but I don't know how much help we're going to be by soaking him and covering him with garbage. Let's practice again tomorrow." She stopped. "Taranee, don't you live this way?"

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me! My dad was going to cook tonight, but mom got off work early and her food's the best! See you guys!" Irma and Hay Lin waved.

Taranee and Will crossed the street and entered the alley that led home, chatting, when there was a flash of blue light. In front of them was a portal, and in an instant Argentum was out. He grabbed Will, her backpack falling off in the process, and left before Taranee, frozen in fear, could do a thing about it. On his way out Argentum's 'tail' smashed into her right temple and as the world turned black she thought she could see a glimmer of gold.

**-Reverse-**

"Hypocrite," Hay Lin teased Irma gently. "So much for caring who you are."

Irma crossed her arms. "The post-Cornelia supply shortage didn't hit as hard as predicted, so excuse me for taking advantage of good fortune. Nice shoes."

Hay Lin giggled. "Yup! I'm going to Oz after school! Hey, where do you think Taranee and Will are?"

"I don't know," Irma said worriedly. 'It's not like Taranee to be late. Oh man, what if that thing came back to finish what it started?"

"Oh no! We have to go look for them!"

Irma bit her lip. "But what about class?"

"Forget it! Will and Taranee are more important than a couple detentions!"

"Alright. Let's go."

**-Reverse-**

Will stared disbelievingly at the girl on the throne before her. They had been told that Princess Elyon was young, but only now did it really sink in. They were practically the same age!

But as Elyon leaned forward and her roses grew around her, she seemed anything but thirteen. "Where is the Heart of Kandracar?" Each word was like a needle, driving into Will's cranium and screaming for her to answer.

"I don't know!" The roses sprouted from the ground around her feet, twining around her and enclosing her in a nest of thorns.

**-Reverse-**

Caleb sat on the ground of the Oubliette staring at Blunk, trying to figure out a plan when the cage that he had been in earlier was lowered again. The bottom popped out and released a young girl with short blue hair and a massive bump on her head. Caleb winced. That looked like it had to hurt.

The girl didn't stir, and he realized that she was unconscious. He pulled her up so that her face wasn't in the dirt, and propped her up against the wall. Something about her looked oddly familiar . . . he brushed off the feeling and returned to his thinking.

**-Reverse-**

The Heart of Kandracar shimmered, displaying an image of Will being enveloped by creeping roses.

"We have to go get her!"

"I agree, but how are we going to find her? And what about Taranee?"

"I don't know," said Hay Lin as the Heart drifted upward and tugged on its leash, "but this thing seems to have an idea." They followed the pull, ducking under the window as they passed by, into the under-school pipe system.

"You know," Hay Lin said disgustedly, "I liked it better when I couldn't see."

"So this must be where they store all the world's dust," Irma remarked as they walked further still. They rounded a corner. "What? Will and Taranee are on the other side of that?"

"And until Will puts this on," Hay Lin pointed at the Heart, "we don't have any power."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Irma said determinedly. "And I think that being kidnapped by a walking ball of silver counts as very, very desperate."

Hay Lin walked up to the portal where she was pulled through by the Heart, and Irma waited a minute before enthusiastically throwing herself through the circle of light.

**-Reverse-**

Caleb looked down at Blunk, who looked back without a care in the world. "I'm going to have to trust you."

Blunk nodded earnestly. "Trust Blunk, yes."

Caleb lowered his shackle chain. "Put your foot, or hoof, or whatever it is, in here. When I count to three jump as high as you can, I'm going to throw you out, and then-"

Blunk jumped on. "One, two-"

"Listen! You're going to find a rope and lower it to me."

"Rope, yes! Good plan!"

"No," said Caleb, "terrible plan. But even if you betray me, at least it'll smell better down here." Blunk looked insulted. "One, two, three!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" Blunk managed to hook his arms over the edge of the Oubliette, but he wasn't prepared and fell back down. Caleb cushioned his fall slightly.

"Hehehe. Sorry," the rebel leader said sheepishly. "Let's try again."

Vathyk's voice thundered from above. "That's right, Guardian of the Veil. You're going down there, with the rebel leader." The cage was lowered yet again, and dropped a girl straight into Caleb's arms with a small shriek.

The girl looked at him and recognition seemed to dawn. "You're that kid from yesterday!"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're not one of the Guardians I saw. Where's your older sister?"

"Wait, you're the rebel leader I'm supposed to be saving? What are you rebelling against, diaper rash?"

"Hey girly girl, I'm fifteen," Caleb said tersely. "Never mind. Activate the crystal and fly us out of here."

"Yeah," she said awkwardly, "I didn't exactly . . . bring it."

He put her down to stand on her own two feet. "You didn't exactly bring it? He asked incredulously.

Blunk trotted out and exclaimed in indignation. "Why catch her, not catch Blunk?"

The girl screamed and latched onto Caleb again. "He's harmless . . . I think. He's just a smuggler."

"Discount importer!"

She looked and saw the unconscious girl with blue hair. "Taranee! What's she doing down here?"

Caleb shrugged. "They threw her in here a while ago. Who is she, a friend of yours?"

"Fire Guardian."

"Brilliant."

**-Reverse-**

"WAAAAAAHOOOOO!" Irma came flying out of the portal headfirst into a swamp. She laughed. "That certainly wakes up your underwear."

"It certainly is refreshing, isn't it? Hey, the crystal's moving again!" Hay Lin walked after the necklace and Irma followed.

**-Reverse-**

"Ugh, look, it's simple," said Caleb in frustration. "You stand on my shoulders, he stands on your shoulders."

"Not until he has a nine month bath, he doesn't," Will said stubbornly.

"Girls! I need a rope, some sort of weapon, and what do I get? An unconscious Fire Guardian and a short redhead with a serious attitude problem. "

"Hey," Will said indignantly, "I'm a Guardian of the Veil, buddy! You're just some guy at the bottom of a hole!"

Blunk decided to offer some advice. He interlocked his fingers. "He do this, don't put foot." He rubbed his bottom. "Big hurt."

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Why were there only four of you anyway? Aren't there supposed to be five Guardians?"

"Uh, yeah, about that," said Will. "Cornelia, the Earth Guardian wasn't willing to be a part of the freak show, as she put it. I just hope she'll come to her senses soon."

Caleb snorted. "She better, or else we're waiting to be rescued by two powerless Guardians with no Meridian experience whatsoever."

"Cornelia would make that three, and tack on the label of prissy."

"On second thought, leave her."

**-Reverse-**

The swamp was seriously starting to creep Irma out. There was fog, and it was green, and it was sticky feeling, and part of her head could just feel the dramatic horror-movie music in the background. Slowly a tall imposing castle, perched high on a warped and twisted pillar of rock, came into view. Above it the air swirled with purple clouds, the center of the spiral right over the tip of the tallest tower. Talk about sinister.

Hay Lin stopped at the edge of the green moat as a shadow appeared just below the surface. "Look, fishies- aaaaahh!" A giant serpentine monster rose out of the water and they ran for their lives, diving behind a massive tree root. They peeked out after a moment.

"Okay," said Irma with a forced laugh. "We're not swimming across."

Hay Lin looked pensive, then her face lit up. "I have an idea! Lift four globs of water up!" Irma raised an eyebrow, but complied. Hay Lin stepped out, placing a foot on two of them. She reinforced the bottom with an air current and gestured for Irma to join. "Come on! We can fly ourselves over this way!"

"Are you sure that that can hold us up? I may not care about missing picture day but I do mind becoming snake poop." Irma folded her arms.

"Sure we can! We just have to concentrate."

Irma bit her lip. "Alright." She carefully stepped onto the other two blobs and Hay Lin placed the air current. Irma pushed her arms forward and they zoomed up onto a terrace. "Nice! This is fun!"

They landed gently. Irma redirected the water back into the moat and they hurried inside, unaware of the monster watching from above.

**-Reverse-**

Elyon, sitting regally atop her throne, suddenly breathed in deeply through her nose. "The Heart of Kandracar," she murmured. "It's here."

Twin pairs of green eyes widened, and metallic colors rose from their depths. Light swirled, and humanoid shapes of silver and gold knelt before the Princess.

"Arum! Detain the intruders! Argentum, go to the Oubliette and assure that the prisoners don't escape."

The figures melted into the flagstones and Elyon sat back. She held out her hand and a single rose vine reached out to meet her. She stroked the petals and whispered quiet words to the twisted flower, and the red color bled black. It faded into oblivion, and somewhere on Earth a woman screamed as her life slipped away.

**-Reverse-**

The castle really needed an interior decorator, Hay Lin decided. Actually, make that a team of interior decorators. It was dark, it was bleak, it was unwelcoming, and it was full of spiderwebs. She understood that the theme was evil, but this was overboard.

The Heart drifted in front of her, glowing and pink, and she decided that that was what this place needed. More light and brighter colors. Like orange walls and yellow rugs or something. Sure they clashed, but it would still be a huge improvement. Maybe when they got rid of the evil person Hay Lin could be on the design team for remodeling! That would be fun! She would fill this place with pink and purple and blue and rainbows. And wall-to-wall carpeting too! And flowers and bows and sunshine and paintings and fluorescent lightbulbs . . . Well, maybe not lightbulbs, what with no electricity and all, but you got the idea.

Then suddenly they were out in the open, and there were all sorts of holes in the floor. The Heart led them toward one, and they stopped at the edge.

**-Reverse-**

Will looked on with a bored expression as Caleb tried- and failed- yet again to scale the wall.

"Will?"

The voice echoed down from the top of the pit, and Will looked up to see two faces looking down at her from the edge. She grinned. "Hay Lin! I'm down here!"

"Catch!"

The Heart of Kandracar fell into Will's outstretched hands. "Guardians, Unite."

Pink light surged outward, and suddenly they were flooded in an immense sense of power. Their senses tingled, minds buzzing and blurring as they transformed . . .

And suddenly there they were, in full Guardian form. "Uh, guys? Little problem. Taranee's out cold."

"Well, fly her up. If you can't she's been eating too much of the lead pellets the school calls peas."

Will tried, but to no avail. "I guess she must really love her veggies then."

"Crap. Hey, is anyone else down there?" Irma shouted.

"Yeah, the rebel leader. If I can't lift Taranee, I certainly can't lift him. His mouth alone must weigh 200 pounds." Caleb looked offended, and as abut to offer a retort when Will interrupted. "Save it, chatty."

"Tell him to hold on to Taranee! They're going to float out!" Will relayed the message just as water gushed down from the ceiling. Will shot up into the air, landing on the edge of the pit.

"Thanks for coming for us, guys."

Hay Lin waved a hand. "No problem. That's what friends are for, right?"

All of a sudden a door burst open and grotesque creatures armed with rather frightening looking weapons burst in.

"Irma! Are they almost out?"

"Yup. Right here."

Caleb dragged Taranee and himself out of the Oubliette, coughing. Blunk hopped off of his head, where he had hitched a ride. Taranee started spluttering too, and a cheer rose from the others.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Tara! No time to talk, just move it!"

Will rolled her eyes at Irma, and gave out instructions. "Irma, Taranee, block the stairs. Hay Lin, find us an exit."

Taranee looked hopelessly confused, but she could tell that there was no time for explanations. She soared off and sent a fireball roaring at the staircase. "Fire!"

Irma shot a massive jet of water at the steps and blasted them right off the wall. "Water!"

Hay Lin blew a stream of air in search of openings, and the cages rattled.

Taranee and Irma landed with the others, and immediately saw Blunk and Caleb clearly. "Hey, it's him- but what's that?" Taranee looked lost.

"I blasted the stairs, but they'll find a new way soon. What _is_ that thing? It looks like a walking cucumber." Irma looked at the Passling in disgusted fascination.

Blunk smiled dopily, drool dripping down his chin.

Caleb shrugged. "I thought he was more of a talking pickle, but whatever."

"So much for finding cute boys."

Hay Lin landed out of breath. "There's like a million holes down there. It's like a really cool maze! I mean, cool if we weren't, like, you know, trapped in here and everything?" She saw Caleb. "Hey! You didn't get eaten by that thing! You know, if metal eats stuff." Caleb shrugged modestly with a small smirk."

Blunk waddled up to Hay Lin. "Take Blunk! Blunk know tunnel! Secret way out!"

Hay Lin struggled to come up with something to say. "He's . . . kinda cute . . ."

And there were suddenly monster-guards coming down from the ceiling. They fled down a tunnel, the army hot on their heels. Blunk led them, and there just so happened to be an open gate. Hay Lin blew it shut, and Taranee welded it. The monsters banged against it, and it began to give way. Hay Lin and Taranee hurried to catch up with the others.

Blunk stopped them at a small opening in the side wall. "Tunnel, yes! Under moat!" He scampered forward and moved aside a log. "Bars! NO!"

**-Reverse-**

At the gate, the monster army stood aside as long snakelike constructs of liquid silver and gold twined around the metal, snapping it like toothpicks. Argentum and Arum respectively led the army down the tunnel.

**-Reverse-**

"Stand back," said Taranee. She snapped her fingers and a flame burst to life. She held it to the wooden bars and slowly began to cut through.

"That's what you get for trusting a smuggler," said Caleb disapprovingly.

"Wholesaler!"

"Um, who are you again?" asked Irma.

"He's the rebel leader," explained Will.

An eerie roaring/scraping noise came from the hall that they had left behind.

"I'll hold them off as long as I can," said Caleb.

"No," Hay Lin called from behind him. "You don't have any power!"

Caleb stopped to shake his head. "Guarding the Veil is more important than one rebel fighter. Oh, by the way. My name's Caleb." Their gazes locked, then he ran to distract the creature(s).

Irma popped up behind Hay Lin, who looked slightly shell-shocked. "Is he cute or what?"

"Hey, slimeball . . . s." Caleb ran down the hall, taken aback at the fact that there were two metal monsters. He turned a corner as they grew closer . . .

**-Reverse-**

Taranee finished with the second bar and Irma kicked it out, crawling through the tunnel. The others followed close behind, and they emerged flying on the other side of the moat. Irma, Taranee, and Will started to fly off when Hay Lin stopped. "I'm going back for Caleb."

Will blinked. "No way, I'll go."

Hay Lin shook her head. "Oh no. I fly better than you. Well, actually, chickens fly better than you. I'm going."

Will bit her lip and nodded. "Be careful."

Hay Lin winked, and zoomed away. She entered the castle and was instantly stopped by the multitude of passages. Caleb's voice echoed in the vast chamber, and she couldn't tell where it came from. "Come on, I'll make a necklace out of you. Which end do you want the clasp on?"

There! His shape emerged from one of the tunnels, and skidded to a halt before he fell right off the edge. The golden snake-metal swung its tail, smashing the rock and sending Caleb down into the chasm. Both shapes retreated down the tunnel, job done.

Caleb tumbled through the air, certain he would meet his death, when he was caught. Hay Lin's voice sounded from above him. "Surprise! Heh, you're heavy. So, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Why?"

"Uh, no reason."

**-Reverse-**

Blunk galloped on all fours through the swamp toward the location of where he knew the tunnel to be. The girls followed, stopping just short of the blue rift. "Where's Hay Lin?"

A dark shape fell through the air and landed face first in the swamp. Caleb's head poked out of the water, and Hay Lin apologized. "Sorry!"

The ground beneath Caleb suddenly rumbled, and rose up as the head of a massive stone beast. Caleb was thrown to the side, and it roared, clumsily trying to hit the Guardians. Irma punched forward with her fist, and a ball of water shot out. "Water!" It smashed the creature's face.

Hay Lin blew streams of air that knocked it right off its feet. "Air!"

Taranee sent a fireball at it. "Fire!" It baked the rock, freezing it in place for a moment.

Will held out a hand, remembering what Yan Lin had told her. "Quintessence!" Lightning crackled and fried the monster further. It was still.

Then, with a huge roar, the beast broke free. The Guardians flew for the portal, Caleb and Blunk following on foot. They darted through the light, and Irma was just barely caught in the huge stone hand. "Will! Help!"

Will held up the Heart of Kandracar, and it shot out a bolt of pink light. The portal sealed, cutting of the beast's hand and freeing Irma. She stood and dusted herself off, and the Heart glowed. In a moment they were once again in their everyday clothing.

Hay Lin was somehow still full of energy. "Can you believe what we just did?"

Irma pumped her fist. "That was so unreal! Talk about teamwork!"

Blunk scampered up the wall and into the piping system. Caleb gestured around himself. "What dangers are in this place?"

Taranee shrugged. "Well, there's the cafeteria food."

**-Reverse-**

"It was so great! We fought and we flew, and the slimeo, creepo thing escaped into the pipes." Irma enthusiastically recounted their adventures at the Silver Dragon.

"You think he'll be okay in there," Hay Lin asked concernedly.

Taranee held up a hand. "If he comes up under the girl's locker room, I'm switching schools."

"The main thing is," said Irma, "the bad guy didn't get Will and Taranee."

Yan Lin shook her head. "Oh, Elyon didn't want Will or Taranee."

"What?"

"Only your power. I fear she wants another, whose battle is yet to come."

Caleb gazed out the window at the rain. He knew that Yan Lin was right; that Elyon would stop at nothing to find her brother, and that the fight would be long. But he was strong, and with time the girls would be too. For now he could wait, and watch for the Prince.

**-Reverse-**

_Earlier_

Cornelia walked out of school feeling peeved. Her hair, despite all the re-application of products, had stubbornly stuck up slightly in front. And on picture day! It was awful.

She tromped out of the schoolyard and down the walk, oblivious to all but her own misery. It was several blocks away from her house when a voice called out behind her.

"Yan Lin isn't crazy."

She turned to see a guy, about seventeen yet with white hair, behind her. His eyes bored into hers, and she shivered. "You shouldn't know about that."

"I have every right to know. I'm a part of it. And denying your destiny is not a healthy endeavor. Without you your friends are less powerful, and more likely to die. Do you want to be the cause of that?

She glared. "Shut up."

"Will and Taranee were kidnapped last night, and Hay Lin and Irma had to skip school to rescue them. You didn't even notice. With you their job could have been much easier, and what kind of person doesn't notice when her best friends are all missing?"

She turned away. "Look, I don't know who the hell you are, but stay away from me." She resumed walking, and his voice called from behind even though he didn't follow.

"Accept your destiny, or you will be the death of us all."

She looked back and he was gone, and his voice echoed in her head for the rest of the evening until she finally drifted off to sleep.

_Or you will be the death of us all._

**A/N- done! Yay!**

**Here are the pairs I'm pretty sure I'm going with. I purposefully chose them for rarity, except for Matt/Will, where the reason is listed below.**

**Phobos/Taranee. Crazy, I know, but she deserves some spotlight. **

**Matt/Will, because main character/main character (AKA, C/W) is Hollywood brainwashing.**

**Caleb/Hay Lin. **

**Irma/De-geekified Martin. Martin deserves a chance, don't you think?**

**Corny/Nobody, because even though she will eventually be good I still don't like her.**

**Opinions, I need opinions! So please, review!**

**-Dragon**


	4. Chapter 3

**I'm setting goals as I begin to write this chapter- let's see what happens.**

**More description. I felt that last chappie fell slightly short in that area.**

**More Phobos. He's listed as the main character and last chappie he showed up once. Sad.**

**Maintaining Elyon's level of evilness. I've built her up to be seriously creepy, and I really like her that way. I just need to make sure I don't let it die.**

**Say thank you! My biggest supporter thus far has been Efyraa, and I give them a huge round of applause! Thanks to all reviewers, every review makes my day!**

Chapter 3

Ravens crowed and flew over the castle in Meridian like a murderous cloud, and in the throne chamber a meeting of sorts was taking place.

Before the throne stood Arum and Argentum. It was clear to see that they were siblings when they stood in this manner, their faces and eyes very much the same. Though Arum's hair was gold and her bother's silver, they were nearly identical.

"Princess Elyon," Arum began in her lilting voice, "when the rebel leader Caleb escaped, we found these."

Behind the siblings was Vathyk and behind him was Raythor, one of the Generals, who held up a pair of unlocked shackles."Either he picked the lock," he said in gravelly tones, "or he was given the only key- which is now suspiciously missing." He pointed at Vathyk. "He obviously helped the rebel- he's a traitor!"

"No! I must have lost the key in the battle," Vathyk said desperately.

Raythor straightened and smirked. "How convenient."

Elyon's eyes narrowed and she reached out to pet her roses as though they were a dog. "If Vathyk is telling the truth," she said, "then the key is still here. Search the castle." She suddenly darted her hand out and grabbed the rose vine in a vice grip, mindless of the thorns. She held on, and from her grasp to the tip of the vine the plant withered. "Leave no corner unturned. Then we shall know if there truly is a traitor in our midst."

As though by a silent signal Arum and Argentum's eyes morphed to gold and silver. Their bodies rippled with light, and they were masses of molten metal. Their voices reverberated throughout the hall, as though coming from every direction. "For your sake Vathyk, you had best hope that the key is quickly found."

They vanished through the floor and Vathyk, for all his bravery, gulped.

**-Reverse-**

"Come on, don't be such a grumpypuss! You look really cool!"

Caleb rolled his eyes, shifting slightly, muscles stiff from holding the same position for an extended period of time. "I've lived in tents smaller than this! Why am I wearing enough clothes for a four hundred pound clown?"

Hay Lin waved a hand. "You're stylin'! Remember, you have to fit in here!" She adjusted a few of the pins on Caleb's outfit.

"I'm not supposed to be fitting in here! I'm supposed to be battling Elyon in Meridian! And I have to find the true heir to the throne, who is hidden somewhere in your ridiculously dressed world!"

Yan Lin poked her head down into the basement. "Ooh, Caleb," she said with a mischievous smile, "you are one major chunk!"

Hay Lin flushed bright red. "Actually it's hunk, Grandma. But you're right." Realizing what she'd said, she hurriedly added, "but wait 'till you see him in his Goth outfit!" She gestured vaguely to the drawing board, trying unsuccessfully to hide her tomato blush.

Caleb, oblivious, pulled the shirt away from his shoulders slightly. "I can't command a rebellion dressed like a parachute! OW!"

"Ooh, sorry," said Hay Lin sheepishly, the offending pin hanging from her fingertip. "Was that your knee?"

"Where is your little Meridian friend," Yan Lin asked

Caleb was now standing on one leg as Hay Lin took frantic measurements. "His name is Blunk, and he's not my friend. But wherever he is you can be sure he's up to no good."

**-Reverse-**

The streets of Meridian's town were desolate ones, gloomy under an overcast sky. They were quiet, that is until . . .

"Rare fruit! Delicacy!" Blunk extended a French fry toward innocent passers-by. He wore a baby bonnet shaped like pig's ears, and held up a video cassette with the tape falling out. "And, magic box of string! See," he pulled out the tape, "string never stop!"

A guard standing duty peeked at the Passling. "I have no money," he said quietly, "but my sister works in the castle, and I have valuable information."

"Trade for attractive earplugs?" Blunk stuck two half-eaten corn-on-the-cobs in his ears.

"Uh," said the guard, "I'd rather have the hat." He pointed at Blunk's bonnet with the pig ears.

Blunk deflated slightly, but as a smug-ah, businessman, he knew a good deal when he saw one.

**-Reverse-**

Caleb walked slowly down the street when several boys on- was that a mudboard? But it was moving on solid ground- zoomed past.

"Hey dude," one of them called, "three-sixty fakie ollie!"

They whizzed away, leaving a perplexed Caleb in their dust.

**-Reverse-**

"Identity means everything to you, doesn't it?"

Cornelia whipped around and saw that guy- that stupid guy- from the other day. His words had not been a question. "I thought I told you to stay away from me, you creep!" Here she'd been, taking a walk and minding her own business, and he had the nerve to come up and start talking about that again.

He ignored her. "You care about what people think of you, and more importantly what you think of yourself. That is why you refused Guardianship. In your mind, having powers is abnormal. You want to be normal, to fit in, to be popular. To you, that is your identity. But you are lying to yourself."

"Look, dude, I know you believe that nonsense, but Hay Lin's grandma is crazy. Those things are impossible. Meridian is some made-up world that Will, Irma, Taranee and Hay Lin have been duped into believing. For all I know, they could have been slipped hallucinogens or something. But magic, and other worlds, don't exist."

"Oh, do they? Why do you deny yourself such great power as is open to you?" the guy seemed genuinely curious, as though he really didn't know why she was refusing to trust some fanatical tale that was clearly the result of an hour's brainstorming, a few practical joke kits, and an old woman's senile mind.

"Because, I already told you. It's not real."

"Oh is it? You will see, Cornelia, that your life is beyond your control, and that one point of view is never the full story."

"Wait, how do you know my-" she blinked, and he was gone without a trace, leaving her alone on the sidewalk. "-name?" She turned away and continued in the direction she had been traveling before. "Stalker," she muttered.

But the seeds of doubt had been sown, and Cornelia began questioning.

What if it was real?

**-Reverse-**

Caleb stood in front of a mirror in the Silver Dragon's basement, trying to tame his unruly hair, when a shadow flickered in the window behind him. He whipped his head around, a look of alarm crossing his face. He dropped to the ground, picked up a broom, and circled around beneath the window, crouching so that whatever it was it wouldn't see him. He poked the latch open and the window swung inward, depositing a creature on the cellar floor. A box fell on top of it, and Caleb kicked it off to reveal . . .

Blunk struck an exaggerated karate pose, and Caleb lowered the broom "You!"

Blunk held out a French fry. "Fruit?" It flopped over, and he ate it himself.

"How did you know I was here," Caleb demanded.

Blunk finished his French fry and licked his fingers. "Blunk know lots. Blunk know _big_ secret. _Sell_ Caleb secret." He rubbed his fingers together. Caleb poked the broom handle into his chest and backed him up against the wall. "Half off?" Caleb glowered threateningly. He put his hands up. "Okay, secret free." Caleb pulled back on the broom. "Vathyk in trouble. Missing key. Big trouble!"

Caleb looked horrified. "The manacle key? That's impossible! I put it in the hiding place where we agreed, so Vathyk could be covered after we left."

Blunk blinked and began to tiptoe away. Caleb, lost in thought, didn't notice until the hinge on the window squeaked. He just managed to grab the Passling by his feet before he got away. He shook Blunk upside-down, and little pieces of junk flew everywhere. Then, with a final sounding clang, the key dropped to the concrete. Blunk laughed guiltily. "Not missing now. Finder fee?"

"You took the key?"

Blunk made a shrugging gesture with his hands, which looked slightly odd upside-down. "Okay, bad decision." Caleb dropped him on his head.

"Vathyk saved my life," Caleb said, picking up the key determinedly. "If I don't return this, he's a goner."

**-Reverse-**

Four bikes sat propped up against the entrance to a cave on the beach. The sunset painted the sky shades of orange and yellow, and birds circled in the sky.

Will, Irma, Taranee and Hay Lin stood inside the cave. The air was frigid and cold and Taranee shivered. "I wish I was at home. It'd be warmer and-" she ducked as a pair of furry fliers swooped over her head," not bat infested."

"I wish I had a big sugary donut," said Hay Lin, moving her hands to illustrate her point.

"Bat's are more afraid of us than we are of them, right," said Taranee uncertainly, still trembling from the chill.

"I'm not sure Taranee," said Irma. "I think if you keep shaking like that, it'll be a tossup."

Will shook her head. "Enough about bats and donuts, it's time for magic practice. Are you guys ready to jam?"

Hay Lin gasped as though she had just figured something out. In a way, she had. "Jam donuts!"

"Shush!" Will held up the Heart of Kandracar. "Guardians, Unite."

Pink light shot out of the crystal, and they were surrounded. Aging reversed for a moment, as their DNA shifted and they were reverted to an embryonic state in cocoons of power. The elements themselves were wired into their genetic makeup, and woven into their cells was the power to create or destroy.

The Heart.

Water.

Fire.

Air.

**-Reverse-**

Cornelia felt a tug in her gut, strong, urging for her to do . . . something. What, she didn't know, but the source was somewhere far from where she was, and it was powerful. She felt like she was a part of something, yet isolated at the same time, and her very soul ached to be with whatever it was. Wanted to belong.

She turned back to her math homework and eventually the feeling faded, but that night as she laid in darkness two things came to mind- the stalker's words, and that sensation. She simply couldn't shake it.

And part of her didn't want to.

**-Reverse-**

The moment her feet hit the ground, Hay Lin zipped straight up into the air outside the cave with a joyful laugh, turning loops and swirls all the way. She skimmed low over the water. "Woohoo!"

Irma crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Showoff."

Taranee nervously placed her hands together and shakily formed a fireball, which she accidentally dropped. It puffed up in a cloud of smoke, turning her face gray with soot. "Oh . . ."

Hay Lin landed as Irma climbed up on a small cliff overlooking the water. "Oh yeah? Top this!" She waved her arms, and water swirled up to form a side view of a face. "I give you Caleb!"

Hay Lin looked closely. "What's with the nose?"

Irma took another glance and saw that the nose was indeed lumpy and crooked. "Caleb with a broken nose!" There was applause and laughter. "Thank you, thank you very much." Irma bowed and released the water.

It suddenly exploded, raining down on Will, Taranee and Hay Lin. They all ran from the torrential rain of fish, crabs and seaweed. A few crabs latched onto Taranee's hair and she gave a strangled squeak.

Irma winced. "Oops."

**-Reverse-**

The four girls, out of Guardian form, stood outside the Silver Dragon "Well," Will tried, "That went . . . well . . . don't you think?"

Hay Lin shrugged. "At least the crabs were friendly."

Irma stared at her. "One nearly bit your foot off and you're calling them friendly?"

"Because they didn't. Bite my foot off, I mean."

Taranee suddenly froze, then started doing an odd wriggle-dance. "I think I have something down the back of my neck."

Will looked. "You promise not to freak if I tell you what it is?" Taranee shook her head. "Then it's just a hair." Will tossed the eel down the sewer drain.

Hay Lin opened the door to let them inside. "You guys have got to see Caleb's new outfits! I made him this really cute retro-aviator-fifties thing, and I think if you four can hold him down, then-"

"Girls," Yan Lin entered the room looking grave. "I have some terrible news."

"That eel down Taranee's neck was poisonous?" Hay Lin looked alarmed.

"What eel?"

Yan Lin shook her head. "Caleb is gone. I fear he may have returned to Meridian."

"What?"

**-Reverse-**

Will stood on the steps of the basement with the other three girls behind her. She sniffed. "What's that smell?" Her gaze alighted upon a pile of miniature clothing that seemed to have flies.

"The last time I smelled that," said Irma, "my French fries went missing."

"Blunk," they chorused.

"Why would he come here," wondered Hay Lin. "Caleb doesn't even like him."

"Nobody likes him, but he needs to go _somewhere._" Said Taranee.

Irma snapped her fingers. "I think I know where we can find the little troll. We need to be magic pixies again- sorry, _Guardians_."

Taranee slumped. "I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this again tonight."

"Forget about it," said Irma. "Where we're going there are no bats, no eels, no crabs."

Then the crystal flashed.

**-Reverse-**

They landed gently in a back alley alongside a dumpster. Taranee lifted her foot, and something slimy and sticky and purple stuck to the sole. "What exactly have you guys got against dry, well-lit places?"

A clattering noise came from the dumpster. "Ooh, treasures, yes." There was more noise.

Will turned. "Light please." Taranee placed a fireball above the dumpster and out popped Blunk, wearing the outfit Hay Lin had made for Caleb.

"Guardians," Blunk looked nervous.

Hay Lin put her hand on her hips. "What is he wearing?"

Blunk flicked the red cap. "It sweet. Blunk styling." The Guardians kicked off the ground and hovered around him. "No! Portal secret!"

Will crossed her arms. "You showed Caleb where it was."

Blunk held up a finger. "He paid. Tight threads." He held out his arms and admired the shirt.

"How do you know where the portals are anyway," Irma asked suspiciously.

Blunk waggled a finger as if addressing an ignorant child. "Blunk always know. Blunk a Passling." He stuck his finger up his nose. "Passlings can smell."

There was a collective ew as Blunk burped. "Boy is that an understatement," Taranee said with a shudder.

"Smelling portals good for smuggling, yes. If Blunk shows, girls close!"

Will shook her head. "We have to close it, or evil oozes through."

"Think of it as putting the cap on the toothpaste," said Irma helpfully. Then she reconsidered. "What am I saying? You've obviously never used toothpaste in your life!"

Hay Lin just couldn't keep silent any longer. "I can't BELIEVE you're wearing those clothes!"

Blunk struck a pose. "Blunk got it going on!"

"No, Blunk got it coming off. I made those for Caleb! If I find him, he's going to wish Elyon found him first." Blunk backed away from the angry Air Guardian and toppled backward into the huge collection of trash. He must have gone right through it, because a moment later he tumbled out of a hole in the bottom of the dumpster. He took off, waddle-running as fast as he could, and the four girls hurriedly flew after him. They watched as he hopped down what seemed to be a manhole cover, but at a second glance was a narrow portal. Will immediately dove in headlong. She was followed by Hay Lin and Irma but Taranee hesitated, landing on her feet next to the entrance.

"Great, bat caves, rat infested alley, and now sewer diving." She waited another moment before hopping in feet first.

When she emerged it was on a large configuration of rock. The sky was clouded deep gray, and the other three girls knelt on a lower ledge.

"Why is it always so droopy-gloomy-dark here," asked Hay Lin.

"Different time zones," said Irma lazily. "Evil is five hours ahead of us."

Will pointed out across the landscape. "The little green rat is going that way."

Hay Lin fluttered up behind and her face changed to one of indignation. "Hey," she yelled after Blunk, "that's four hundred thread silk, quit dragging the sleeves!" She took to the air, zipping after the Passling and stopping him from going any farther until the others showed up.

"Speaking of clothes," said Taranee, "the wings are kind of obvious. We need some kind of disguise."

**-Reverse-**

Rain came down hard, and a puddle splashed as a foot came down in the center of it. Caleb stiffened behind the wall he was using to hide, and physically jumped as a figure rounded the corner. He relaxed when he saw who it was. "Aldarn, you gave me a heck of a scare."

Aldarn looked apologetic. "Sorry Caleb. They're out looking for you everywhere." He gazed up at the sky where a bird, undoubtedly one of Elyon's scouts, swooped overhead. "I heard you went through the Veil. What's it like there?"

"The teenagers stand on these little boards with wheels and do three-sixty fakie ollies. Oh, and, they say 'like' in the middle of sentences for no reason."

Aldarn looked happier already. "Sounds . . . good."

**-Reverse-**

"Two more hours and the key isn't found, I'll have your job and you'll have a one way trip to the abyss of shadows."

Vathyk sat in his cell as Raythor walked away, and placed his head in his hands.

_Come on, Caleb._

**-Reverse-**

"No money, no cloaks."

The stocky salesman stood with his hands on his hips, facing the four girls and Blunk. The Passling held up a teabag and slapped it on the counter. "Candy on string! Trade?"

The salesman looked unimpressed. Blunk shrugged and stuffed the teabag in his own mouth.

"No trades," said the salesman. "I already got stuck today with a load of wet firewood I can't burn."

Will and Taranee shared a glance. "Will you give us the cloaks if we dry it out for you," Will asked.

The salesman snorted. "What are you, the sun?"

Taranee stepped forward and put her hand above the firewood. A flame encased her fingers, and steam began to rise. Within a moment the wood was bone dry.

The salesman touched the wood in astonishment. "I-I also have some wet laundry . . ."

Taranee resisted the urge to facepalm.

**-Reverse-**

"Aldarn, there's something I need to return to the castle."

Aldarn shook his head. "Uh uh, impossible. You'd need the Guardians of the Veil to get inside there."

Five cloaked figures rushed around the corner and frankly bowled Caleb over. He saw their faces beneath the hoods and blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"Never mind that," one of the figures snapped, getting to her feet. "Why aren't you wearing these clothes?"

Aldarn helped another figure to stand. "My name is, like, Aldarn." The modern teenage lingo sounded ridiculous in his deep voice. "Would you like to, like, do a three-sixty fakie ollie with me sometime?"

Taranee, beneath the hood, looked bewildered. "Um, what?"

Caleb, Hay Lin and Will stood. Caleb dusted off his clothes. "I don't want you here. I wouldn't even be here if he," he pointed at Blunk, who squeaked, "hadn't stolen this key!" He held up the manacle key.

"Wait," said Irma disbelievingly, "you're telling us this is all the stinkmonkey's fault?"

"Duh."

"Duh? Your speech has, like, changed Caleb."

Caleb ignored Aldarn and asked, "Why were you running anyway?"

"Uh," said Taranee, "We were kind of running from him."She gestured back the way they had came and Caleb saw a guard with a rather scary looking sword and even scarier face running toward them.

"Hey, get back here!"

Aldarn's eyes widened. "Caleb, run!" He dashed to his left.

Caleb put his hands on his hips. "Hey officer? Uh, what size shoe do you wear?"

"You, where are your papers?" Will, Irma, Taranee and Hay Lin lowered their hoods and the guard stopped dead in his tracks. "Guardians."

Taranee leapt up from the ground, wings aflutter. She punched forward a fire-infused fist and the ball of flame rocketed toward the guard. It collided with his sword, sending the blade out of his hand to the ground where it melted to a blob of molten metal. Wind snaked up from the ground, wrapping around him like a tentacle and spinning him in wild circles. Water rose from puddles, slamming into his face as one great wave, and Will finished the job with a simple poke to knock him over.

**-Reverse-**

At the castle gate there was a horse and cart, the cart filled with hay. Caleb, dressed in the defeated guard's armor, stood in front of it. "Hay for Princess Elyon's horses."

The guard at the gates looked at them for a moment before waving them in.

Will, Irma, Taranee and Hay Lin peered out from beneath the hay as the cart rolled across the cobblestones and into the castle grounds. Tall, imposing spires surrounded the courtyard and the sky, if possible seemed ever darker. Birds swooped among the pointed tops, and they all simultaneously shivered.

**-Reverse-**

"They key has not been found. But I suppose you already knew that. It's time, traitor!"

**-Reverse-**

"Ugh," said Will, "this place gives me the creeps. Just hide the key and let's get out of here."

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's going to be real easy with four girls tagging along."

"Hey!" Will looked resentful. "We are not tagging along, mister _brave hero_."

"Sh! Why didn't I just bring a sack full of screaming cats?"

"Ack, these cloaks are itchy," said Hay Lin.

Irma held up a squirming bug. "Is this small bloodsucking insect what I think it is?"

"Don't day anything," Will warned, "or they'll hear Taranee screaming back at school."

Taranee, having heard only her name out of the previous sentence, looked suspicious but didn't press the subject.

They reached the end of the hallway and stopped. They were at the very entrance of what looked like a lunch hall for the guards, and the creatures immediately were at attention.

"Itchy cloaks off!" They let the dark fabric drop to the floor, and leapt off the ground. Caleb flipped the first charging guard to reach him into a weapons rack and drew his sword.

Two guards rushed Hay Lin from either side, and she leaped up in time for them to bash themselves together. "Sorry!"

Taranee's fists were blazing, and flames flared all around her. They moved like a living entity, and she found herself exhilarated by the fight. She beat her wings and took to the air as her fire swirled and took out the guards that had been surrounding her. One of the shields was sent flying and Caleb, whose sword had been locked with another, grabbed it out of the air to smash over the guard's head.

Will looked around her and picked up a long thin sword. In a flash of inspiration she sent quintessence lighting jolting down the length and threw it at a chandelier. It smashed into the chain and sent the fixture tumbling to the floor on top of numerous guards. Electricity flowed along the metal and she smirked.

"Irma, Hay Lin! Let's wrap this up."

Irma thrust her hands forward and massive jets of water blasted out and soaked the room. Hay Lin took a deep breath and blew freezing air that churned around them and chilled to the bone. In a moment the room was full of frozen monsters.

"Ooh, guard-sicles," said Irma approvingly. "Do they come in cherry?"

"Okay," said Will urgently, "we've bought ourselves about ten minutes."

Caleb came running to the entrance, panting. "This way, quick!" They all ran after him.

**-Reverse-**

Vathyk stood at the edge of a ledge overlooking the Abyss of Shadows. "They say you fall forever," came Raythor's voice behind him. "We'll never know- but you will. Say hello to the other conspirators for me."

"Actually you can do that yourself!" Will shot down the hallway and smashed her foot into Raythor's face.

Taranee lit a ball of fire and moved it back and forth in front of the other guard's face. "You are very sleeeeeeepy." Its eyes fluttered and Taranee's nose wrinkled. "Not to mention uuuuuuugly." The creature toppled over. "Night night . . . whatever you are."

"Caleb!" The rebel in question was nearly crushed in a massive hug.

"Easy, easy! My good friend Vathyk," when he was back on his feet he gestured to the girls, "these are the guardians of the Veil."

"Hello."

Hay Lin put a finger to her chin. "You sure don't look like a good guy."

Vathyk looked bemused. "Thank you?"

"I brought the key." Caleb reached into his pocket.

"Ah, it's too late. They searched everywhere; they know it's not here. Its sudden reappearance can do me no good now."

Will was pensive. "Or maybe it can. I have an idea. Call out an alarm."

Vathyk looked taken aback. "What?"

"You know, Guardians, Guardians in the castle! Caleb, give me the key." Caleb obliged.

"Guardians! Guardians, help!"

Will slipped the key under the strap of Rythor's sword sheath. "Lie down now, and don't move!" Vathyk lay down on his stomach in a façade of unconsciousness.

Heavy footsteps sounded through the hallway, an obvious giveaway that a massive group of guards were on their way. The Guardians and Caleb stood waiting.

A moment later the two metal monsters were at the head of a huge assembly of guard creatures. Taranee immediately blasted fire at them, and Hay Lin struck up a whirlwind. Dust choked the air, prohibiting sight, and when it cleared there was nobody on the ledge but Raythor and Vathyk.

Arum roared, and from the gold mass there grew an arm pointing the way they'd come. "Search the tunnels!" Argentum left with the mass of guards, and Arum slithered out onto the ledge.

Raythor blinked blearily and looked up. "We we're taken by surprise. They had come to save this traitor."

Arum's shapeless face solidified into features, feminine yet frightening, and loomed over Raythor. "Then why did they leave him? And why did _he_ call the alarm?" She pointed at Vathyk before lifting Raythor by the sword-strap. The key, which Will had tucked inside, clattered to the stone floor.

"No! No, I didn't!"

Vathyk sat up rubbing his head.

Arum lobbed Raythor at a guard. "Take him to Elyon." She leaned over Vathyk. "Back to your post." She slithered away and Vathyk breathed easier than he had in days.

**-Reverse-**

Hay Lin, Taranee, Will and Irma stood outside the school itching like mad. Taranee started plain running, and Will laughed. "Poor Taranee. Bats, crabs, rats, and now fleas."

Irma looked at her, still scratching crazily. "Where did Hay Lin go?"

**-Reverse-**

"At first I wasn't sure how it would look with your skin tone, but I was right!" Hay Lin wrapped a cape around Blunk's neck. "You're much more of a spring than an autumn!"

The Passling was wearing an aviator outfit, complete with the goggles, and he actually looked somewhat cute. Caleb snorted. "He looks like an overgrown raisin."

Hay Lin turned her nose up in the air and Blunk smirked. "Caleb jealous. Blunk da bomb!" He leapt off the stool and accidentally turned on an old record player. Hay Lin giggled and they both started dancing to the funky music.

Caleb stood on the sidelines and Yan Lin came up to him doing her own little dance. "Hey! Shall we get down, rebel boy?"

Caleb shook his head and Yan Lin joined her granddaughter. "I thought all earthlings were strange, but I'm beginning to think it's just the females."

He watched with a small smile and a tapping foot as Hay Lin, Yan Lin, and Blunk continued to boogie.

**-Reverse-**

Cornelia couldn't believe she was doing this. She really couldn't. But she was doing it, and she wasn't one to back away from something once she started it. Unless it threatened her hair, of course. She was standing in the middle of a walking path that went through the park woods. She was surrounded by trees and plants and dirt . . . earth.

The words of that boy and that feeling she'd gotten had stewed in her mind, mixing, and always right there. The 'what if' was killing her, she had to do this or she'd go crazy.

With a deep breath she stepped off the path and knelt next to a sapling about a foot tall. She bit her lip and, thinking herself insane, placed a hand next to the baby tree.

**-Reverse-**

The earth energies hit Phobos's senses hard, having been on specific watch for them, and he smiled. He ducked into an alley and behind a dumpster, and vanished. His molecules disassembled, flying to the wind, and materialized near the source of the energy.

Acceptance was wonderful, was it not?

**-Reverse-**

Cornelia was standing on the path again, staring at the fully grown tree in front of her. It was impossible . . . but there it was. She screwed her eyes shut, then opened them again. It was still there. She pinched herself. Nope, not a dream.

"I see you've finally acknowledged your gift."

She didn't even turn now, and on some level she had expected it. He was her stalker, wasn't he? "I suppose. I'm not ready to face the others though."

She could feel the nod. "Of course. You are behind, and you have much work to do. Their powers have developed through use; yours are very green, literally and figuratively." He laughed. "When you are at their level, you must join them. They are powerful alone, very powerful, but if you are there to complete the pentagon the power is so much more. Come with me Cornelia, and I will help you. Meridian needs you, your friends need you, and the universe needs you. Accept your destiny."

She turned and met his eyes, pale blue and kind. She saw the truth in his words, and she nodded. "I accept. But," she stopped him as he began to walk away, "I would appreciate it if you would give me a name. I'd rather not call you Stalker 24/7. That would be weird."

He chuckled. "Call me Phillip." Leaves swirled from the trees in a rush of wind, spiraling around him, and in a moment he flickered out of sight. Cornelia smiled and walked home, accelerating a tree's growth every once in a while.

If she needed to catch up so badly, she might as well start now.

**A/N- yay! Semi-good Cornelia, super long chapter, how could this get any better?**

**Please review and tell me ways it can! I'm still not the greatest of writers, and I will never be, but advice can always help me improve!**

**-Dragon**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Vines. They stretched everywhere, twining around buildings and structures. They were warm to the touch, if anyone dared touch them, surging with energies sucked from the very air around them. Blue light pulsed from their centers ebbing and flowing in a constant heartbeat, and all of them eventually made their way back to the castle.

The power, turned to emerald in the green light of the underground spring, ran from the malicious plants to crystalline waters. Elyon, in a light and loose bathing outfit, broke the surface with a breath. She sat back, cupping one hand and lifting it from the blue to watch the liquid run out from between her fingers in disinterest. "The waters don't refresh my powers as they once did. The life force of the city won't last forever." She raised her head to stare with piercing eyes at Arum, who knelt at the edge of the pool. "The need to find my brother has never been greater. Seven years . . . my attempt to kill him that night was ill thought out, the result of an inexperienced mind. I should have simply had him put in the dungeon. To keep him imprisoned is to have a massive, yet renewable power source. Finding him will be difficult; he took Galgheita with him and has no doubt taken on an alias."

"If I may make a suggestion," said Arum, "I can look through the birth records that the earthlings keep."

Elyon smiled coldly. "Very good. If we know those who were born there, we can narrow our search to those who weren't. Take your brother with you."

Arum bowed and turned away.

**-Reverse-**

"Honey, are you sure you don't want to invite just 25 or 30 of your closest friends over?"

Will sighed as she stepped out of the car. "No mom, not even 25 or 30."

"Okay. Just remember, you'll always be my Pink Perky Pookie Pumpkin."

Will closed the door and her mom drove away. Irma, who had been standing behind her, giggled.

**-Reverse-**

'_What do I have to do to catch up?'_

'_Use your powers at every opportunity. You will improve very quickly, and it will not be long at all before you are at their level.'_

'_How long?'_

'_Not. Three days at most. But be careful that you are not seen.'_

Phillip's words rang through Cornelia's head, and she took them to heart. For the past few days she had used her powers as often as possible, yet discreetly. During class times she had a few grains of sand chasing each other in circles a few millimeters above her desk, or was coaxing the teacher's potted violet to open a little further. She used them to clean out her locker of dirt, and get the dusty sand off of her gym shoes on days that they used the softball field. On the way home she hastened the growth of plants that lined the sidewalk, or revived dead grass. She even fixed a pothole once or twice. And every day when she got home she would quickly finish her homework and go for a walk to visit her tree. It wasn't really _her_ tree, but she thought of it as such, what with it being the result of her first purposeful use of her powers.

She sat at the edge of the schoolyard watching a small flower grow under her care, and smiled as something in her head clicked and a sense of . . . she didn't know what took over her. Inclusion? Yes, that was it. She felt like she was a part of something.

Tonight she would tell Phillip, and soon . . . soon she would take up her role as Guardian.

**-Reverse-**

Irma and Will shuddered as something momentarily invaded their heads. In a moment it was gone, but something niggled at the sides of their brains. They shared a glance. "What was that?"

Will shook her head. "I have no idea."

They kept walking and Irma leaned toward Will. "So, it's your birthday."

"Friday. Promise you won't do anything dumb like throw me a surprise party."

"I love surprise parties!" Irma drew back slightly at the look Will threw her. "Of course, by that I mean I hate and despise them."

**-Reverse-**

Uriah made a face. "This pork chop tastes funny."

One of his thugs gave a dumb-sounding chuckle. "Must be why it was in the garbage."

Irma walked by carrying her lunch tray of goop.

At the usual table, Taranee speared a carrot with her fork and held it up in front of her face for closer inspection. "Does this look cooked to you?"

Hay Lin giggled. "Taranee, it's a carrot. The only way it could hurt you is if bunnies invade the school and decide that they're hungry."

Irma slammed her lunch down on the table. "Guess whose birthday it is Friday?"

Hay Lin jumped in her seat, waving her hand. "Ooh, I know, I know!" She placed her fingers on her temples, then shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "Uh, I don't know."

"It's Will's birthday!"

Hay Lin looked excited. "Are you going to throw her a party?"

"No." Irma slumped slightly. "She made me promise not to." She caught sight of Will in the lunch line. "Oh, I have to warn her about the fish, 'cause I think this was breaded when they caught it. Hey, Will! Pink Perky Pookie Pumpkin!" Laughter erupted throughout the lunchroom and Irma rose from her seat and made her way over to the redhead.

Hay Lin leaned forward and said quietly to Taranee, "Hey, maybe we should give Will a party anyway!"

Taranee looked confused. "But Irma promised not to."

Hay Lin giggled. "_Irma_ promised. We didn't. We don't have to invite a lot of people; it can just be the four of us."

"But Will said she didn't want a party."

"If it's just us, it almost isn't one. It's more of a . . . friendly celebration! Hey, maybe we could invite Caleb."

"I don't know . . . where would it be?"

"Grandma's place?"

"Hm . . ." Taranee considered it. "Alright. Tell your grandma, Caleb, and Irma. If we're going to have a party, it should be cool."

Hay Lin smiled

**-Reverse-**

"I don't know."

"Come on Caleb," Hay Lin wheedled, "don't you have parties on Meridian?"

"Yeah," he said flatly. "To celebrate the end of Clunderfeast we cook and eat an ox."

"Um . . . okay, but we're not exactly into that stuff on Earth."

"What _do_ you do then?"

"Oh boy . . ."

_Insert an hour-long rant about Earth parties here._

"Fine, fine! I'll go! Just please . . . stop talking."

"Hehe, works every time."

**-Reverse-**

Cornelia strolled through the mall in a bored haze with Phillip by her side. She couldn't wait for the day she had enough courage to talk to the others again, but for now as much as she wanted to she just couldn't do it.

The sound of wheels on tile echoed through the hall and three guys pulled up on skateboards. Cornelia's nose wrinkled as she recognized them as Uriah and his gang. They stopped and each took a bite of an apple at the same time. Cornelia rolled her eyes. Lame.

Uriah hopped off his skateboard. "Hey, how come Kirk, Clubber and me didn't get invited to this party of yours?"

Cornelia raised an eyebrow. "What party?"

"Don't pay dumb, the one Taranee was telling Irma about. You hang around them, so you obviously know."

Cornelia shook her head, slightly hurt that they didn't tell her, but she felt that it was justified. She hadn't exactly been pleasant to them. "Not recently. And even if I knew, I wouldn't invite creeps. Oh, I'm sorry. Creeps, Phillip. Phillip, Creeps."

She stalked off with her nose in the air and Phillip smirked. "Pleased to meet you. Are you related?" He walked after Cornelia without waiting for an answer.

Uriah's face was thunderous. "I say we teach them a lesson," he said to his cronies. "You know that horror movie where the kids are terrified by guys in masks?"

"Where are we going to find scary guys in masks?"

Uriah turned around with an evil gleam in his eye and for once the thugs knew exactly what he was thinking.

**-Reverse-**

"Those are your tough guys? I'd like to see them last a second in a real fight."

Cornelia looked at Phillip. "And you would?"

He smirked. "I know a few tricks."

Cornelia rolled her eyes. "You're what, fifteen? What would you know of real fighting?"

"Seventeen, and quite a bit actually. I moved here when I was ten after a psycho girl in my hometown tried to kill me. My caretaker and I were basically broke so it was tough for a while."

"Hey, how do you know about me being a Guardian anyway?"

He shrugged. "When I was small my mother told it to me as a bedtime story when I was young. It was the only story she ever told, actually. Since she knew it so well I believed it as a child, and I continued to believe it. When I came here I started feeling magical energies, so I concluded that the story was the truth and identified the sources. You were one, and your friends were the others. When I saw you distancing yourself . . . well, the story claimed that the Guardians' power weakened alone."

"You said you sense magical energies?"

"And I can tell the difference from one to the other. Yours is Earth, and it is deep rooted and strong. It is a base, and unmovable. Fire is feral, untamed and almost angry. It is alive in a way unexplainable. Water is gentle and flowing, ebbing like the tides. It is healing and smooth. Air is wild and free. You cannot catch it or confine it unless it desires you to. And the Heart is simply indefinable. It is all the elements at once, it is absolute, but alone it is also nothing."

"You know a lot."

"I've had a lot of time."

"Thanks. For everything."

Phillip smiled as they exited the mall and they turned in different directions.

"Of course."

And then she was gone and he breathed deeply. It would not be easy, it was never easy, but perhaps they could now succeed.

**-Reverse-**

Hay Lin sat in front of Yan Lin. "Uh, Grandma, you had something to show me?" Yan Lin held out a rolled up piece of ancient-looking paper. "What's that, the world's oldest placemat?"

Yan Lin shook her head. "No Hay Lin. This was once part of a great map hanging on Princess Elyon's wall. Years ago a soldier, tired of serving the evil prince, tore off a crucial piece of Elyon's map, the part showing our world, and escaped. He gave the map to a Passling, one who moves between worlds, and thus it came to me. In our world the map is blank, unless activated by the Heart of Kandracar, currently held by our friend Will."

Hay Lin inspected the map. "Why wait until now to give me this?" She gasped and bowed her head, placing the tips of her fingers together in a bow. "Is it because my powers are finally mature enough that I'm worthy?"

"Nah," said Yan Lin. "It was in the attic. I couldn't find it. I found my old tennis racket too." She pulled out an ancient racket and swung it enthusiastically with a screeching shout. "Heeeeaaa- ouch!" Her back cracked. "Stupid joints."

**-Reverse-**

"I've got to get will something for her birthday," Caleb said thoughtfully. "In Meridian I'd give her the customary chicken skin hat. Well, earth girls do like to buy that stuff that smells in tiny bottles."

Blunk lifted a finger. "Blunk have smelly in bottle!" He pulled out a large container of nasty looking green liquid. "Gargowere sweat!" He uncorked it and inhaled deeply.

Caleb ignored him.

**-Reverse-**

"Hey, Will!"

Will saw Irma and Taranee running up. "Hey guys."

"Hay Lin's invited us over to the Silver Dragon for tea. Can you come?" Irma grinned. This was so much easier than trying to get her to one of their houses.

"Sure. Now?"

They nodded and grabbed her hands, yanking her forward. "It's getting dark," said Taranee. "Let's get going."

**-Reverse-**

In City Hall Park a glowing blue circle formed in midair, and two figures stepped through. Arum and Argentum, in human form, nodded to each other. As they turned forward, Arum gave a small laugh that would send chills down anyone's spine. "Surprise!"

**-Reverse-**

Phobos shivered as a feeling of emptiness sounded from a distant part of the city. What-

_A portal!_

He swore colorfully, and then swore again when he realized he couldn't teleport. It was a hit or miss gauge whether he could do it or not, depending on variables like weather and traffic. Barometric pressure was too high, he would run out of power before he could properly reassemble his molecules in front of the Silver Dragon and die a very painful death.

He pushed magic into his limbs and started running. Elyon would be looking for him, and she would use that portal without a doubt. Arum and Argentum would be sent through, he needed backup- Cornelia!

He sent out magical pulses in an exercise he had come up with to help her accelerate her powers. To be receptive to energy fluctuation. A minute later he felt a pulse of Earth magic in return and sent an image along the now established link. In his head a picture of the Silver Dragon materialized. He could feel the surprise along the connection, but also the affirmative. The earth energy started to move.

In minutes he was waiting outside the restaurant for Cornelia. He wouldn't go in without her, lest he seem crazy, and his entire body buzzed.

_Come on._

**-Reverse-**

Will looked wide-eyed at the streamers and cake. Hay Lin, Irma, Taranee, Caleb and Yan Lin grinned. "Surprise!"

Hay Lin came up and hugged her. "You said you didn't want a party, but this isn't one! It's just us! It's a friendly gathering of celebration!"

Will tried, but she just couldn't be mad. Irma may have broken her promise, but it wasn't a huge party with the entire school or anything. She smiled. "Thanks guys."

"No problem," said Taranee. "That's what friends are for."

**-Reverse-**

Arum and Argentum stood in front of the City Hall doors. In unison their bodies rippled into liquid masses. Twin tails smashed the doors open, and they both slithered at breakneck speed through the building.

**-Reverse-**

Sparky barked. Denny looked at him and followed his gaze. His eyes widened as a snake shaped shadow moved past the window of City Hall. He patted Sparky's head, then turned tail and ran for it.

**-Reverse-**

Blunk tugged on Caleb's sleeve. "Blunk help with gift!"

Caleb shook his head. "No, don't help. You stay here and shut your mouth." He walked over to Will, who was chatting with Irma. Taranee and Hay Lin were helping Yan Lin put candles on the cake. He handed her a picture of her in her Guardian form. "It's carved out of driftwood, the wings are dragon scales."

Will looked touched. "Thank you."

**-Reverse-**

"When do we do it?"

Uriah crouched behind the bush across the street from the Silver Dragon. "We do it when I say we do it."

"Sure thing Uriah. Uh, when are you going to say we do it?"

**-Reverse-**

"There have been reports about a snake monster at City Hall. While we are unsure whether these reports are to be trusted, the police are on the case. Back to you, Jake." The news reporter's annoying feminine voice gave way to the even more annoying male one of the anchor.

Everyone in the room of the Silver Dragon shared a glance. "Snake monster?" Irma's eyes were wide. "Remember that metal thing?"

**-Reverse-**

Cornelia stopped next to Phillip, wiping her brow. She wasn't sure why he had called her there, but it seemed important. That was confirmed when he started talking the moment she ceased running.

"Elyon's henchmen are in City Hall. We have to warn Yan Lin and the others. They're here tonight for that party, come on!" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside behind him.

"-metal thing?"

"Yan Lin! Arum and Argentum are at City Hall! I think they're there for birth records!"

Yan Lin looked startled. "Pho- Phillip? How did you know?"

"I felt the portal! There's no time, they'll find the heir!"

Yan Lin's eyes widened. "Girls, Caleb, you must go!"

"What? How does this guy know about Meridian?" Caleb glared suspiciously.

Irma put her hands on her hips. "And why is Corny here?"

"There is no time! Trust him, go!"

Phillip yanked Cornelia's arm and they ran out of the restaurant with the others behind them. They ran single file along the sidewalk.

Caleb stayed behind. "Who is he," he demanded.

**-Reverse-**

"Who's that guy?"

"Who cares? We can take 'im. And five girls all together? Too perfect. Let's go."

Uriah and his gang slunk off through the bushes.

**-Reverse-**

Yan Lin shook her head. "You must go!" She pushed him out the door just in time for him to catch sight of Uriah hand his partners in crime.

"What're the creeps up to?"

He took off after the group.

**-Reverse-**

The five girls and Phillip stood at the entrance to City Hall. Taranee quailed at the dark building. "Maybe we should call the police?"

Will shook her head. "For this kind of problem, we are the police."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

They walked in and stopped in the center of the room. Will raised the Heart of Kandracar. "Guardians Unite!"

The four girls that had done this before slipped into Guardian form effortlessly, calm among the swirling energy. Cornelia, however, was completely new. Her heart rate jumped as the light encased her, and what part of her was conscious was freaking out completely. When they were released, she stumbled as her feet hit the ground. She looked around herself in awe. Wings, new outfit, increased height, her entire internal gyroscope turned on its head. She wobbled and almost fell, and she would have if Phillip hadn't caught her.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Alright," said Irma, "here are the basics. You have wings. They work. You can fly. You have powers. They are enormous. Like, I could cause a tsunami if I wanted to. Use them to bash on bad guys. Ten points for the tail, thirty for the chest, and fifty for the head. Got it?"

"I think so. The outfit?"

"No clue. So far, it's just for show."

"I got it."

"Good. Now who wants a new pair of earrings?"

**-Reverse-**

With a roar Argentum tossed a box of papers to the floor. He and his sister were in their human form again. "These are ancient. We need more recent records."

**-Reverse-**

Caleb narrowed his eyes as the Creeps scaled the steps to City Hall. He turned to Blunk. "I can't be seen doing anything to them. Stupid Earth rules. But you . . . nobody will ever believe them if they talk about you."

Blunk grinned a slobbery grin.

**-Reverse-**

"Cornelia, use those plants and force the elevator doors open," said Phillip. She obliged, then Will kicked a bench in between them to keep them apart. The elevator shaft was empty, the elevator on a different floor.

Cornelia looked at her hands. "Wow."

Irma snorted. "That's nothing in Guardian form. Where've ya been, Corny?"

Taranee looked at Will. "Why don't we take the elevator?"

Will raised an eyebrow. "The elevator with the ding like a microwave telling them that we're inside and ready to eat?"

"Oh yeah." Taranee scratched the back of her neck. "Let's fly up."

"What about Phillip," asked Cornelia.

"Hay Lin, how big of an updraft can you make," inquired Will thoughtfully.

**-Reverse-**

Hay Lin formed a tornado in her hands and whizzed out to stand in the doorway of the only room with an open door. "Air!"

Taranee's fist ignited and she slid into place below Hay Lin. "Fire!"

A glove of water shaped around Irma's hand and she popped out below Taranee. "Water!"

Then they saw that the room was empty and their show had been for nothing. Oops.

Taranee knelt by some of the scattered papers and picked one up at random. "What would big, nasty metal monsters want with birth records?"

"They're looking for the heir to Meridian," said Phillip, looking pale. Cornelia supposed that it was probably only the dim light though. "And call them by their names. The gold one is Arum and the other is Argentum."

Irma pointed at him. "I still don't trust you, mister, and I have no idea how you know about this stuff, so stay out of it."

Phillip rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and leaned against the doorframe. "You know, it doesn't really matter. I've been a part of this for a lot longer than you have. I'm going to call for backup. Arum and Argentum can take on any shape they choose when they are in their metal form, and you do not want to face them alone."

He pulled out a cell phone, which was immediately yanked out of his hands by a large and concentrated gust of air. Hay Lin caught it. "Dude, in case you forgot, we are fighting monsters. Humans with no powers won't do any good."

And suddenly the phone was in Phillip's hands again and he was texting. He clicked send, looked up, and smirked. "Who said they were human?"

**-Reverse-**

Blunk and Caleb hid behind a bust in the main entry of City Hall watching Uriah and his buddies. Blunk seemed to be having second thoughts. "Uh, maybe Blunk too pretty to scare boys."

Caleb resisted the urge to snort. "I'll risk it."

Blunk stepped out. "Grr."

Uriah, Kirk and Clubber turned around wearing creepy masks. Blunk gave another small growl.

"Dude, is that like a big green monkey?"

"Muuuuuud!" Caleb facepalmed. To this day, nobody knows why Blunk chose mud as his 'cry of evil', or why it seemed so scary, but we do know that it was effective. The gang ran screaming. "And don't come back!" The Passling turned with a self-satisfied smile and came face to face with Argentum. "Uh oh . . ." Well, now we know why the thugs ran off.

Blunk screeched in terror.

**-Reverse-**

Upstairs the girls and Phillip had moved to another room. "The only things missing are male birth records from about seventeen years ago," said Taranee. There was a roar and a bloodcurdling scream.

"The lobby," said Will urgently.

**-Reverse-**

"What are you doing on this side of the Veil, smuggler?"

Blunk lifted a hand in protest. "Retailer!" A massive silver tail smashed into the bust behind Blunk just as he jumped out of the way.

Caleb shouted something vaguely insulting and jumped, tackling Argentum around the neck. He was swatted off by Arum, and he crashed into a wall.

Suddenly there was another roar, and green light filled the room. Arum and Argentum turned to see a massive snake-man at the entrance. It rushed them and smashed into Argentum with its tail. The silver mass reeled and Arum smashed her own tail into the enemy's side. The snake bellowed, and it and Arum began a one-on-one battle.

"Hello there." Argentum looked and saw a little Asian girl, perhaps twelve years old, standing in the doorway looking innocent. "Who are you?" Her eyes narrowed, and her face took on a decidedly devilish expression. "Never mind. I know." Her hair stood on end, puffed up, and collapsed on her, popping up to reveal four gray legs. The hair puffed up slightly more and multiple eyes peered out from the black fuzz. The girl, now a spider creature, leaped at Argentum's face.

Caleb shook his head blearily and slowly regained his bearings. He looked around in confusion, taking in the fact that the evil monsters were fighting . . . more monsters. He wasn't sure if the new arrivals really were evil, but they certainly weren't on Elyon's side. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Caleb muttered, and stood with a hand to his throbbing head.

Suddenly a voice called out his name. "Caleb!" Hay Lin, being the one who had shouted, swooped into the room from the elevator shaft. Behind her was Phillip, who was dumped rather unceremoniously on the floor as the air current, swirling beneath him, dispersed. The other four Guardians followed, he was surprised to see, having expected Cornelia to bail. She seemed unsteady on her wings, but she landed alright.

They took up position in front of Phillip, each with their element at the ready. Even Will had a ball of lightning crackling between her palms. They all seemed surprised to see the extra monsters- except Phillip. The new kid actually had the gall to salute to the snake and the spider. To Caleb's shock, they actually saluted back- well, as best you could as a snake and a spider in the middle of a battle with metal monsters.

The Guardians- sans Cornelia, who didn't quite trust her wings yet- leapt into the air and launched the attack.

Will shot her bundle of lightning at Argentum, narrowly missing the snake man. She and the others had come to the same conclusion as Caleb. A small jolt ran along the silver monster's back, but it didn't have much effect.

Hay Lin shot a huge gust of wind at Arum when the spider was momentarily distanced, moving her into place for Taranee to melt the chain holding the chandelier and drop it on the gold monster. It didn't hold her for long, and she threw off the fixture with a roar.

Irma thrust her fingers forward and sent a jet of water into Argentum's face. He was blasted backward slightly, and the snake used that opportunity to slam his green tail into the silver creature's head . . . or at least the general head area.

Cornelia hurriedly placed a wall of stone in front of herself as Arum's tail swung straight for her. The spider scurried around Arum, wrapping her tightly in webs. The golden creature had suddenly collapsed in on herself, going from the size of a bus to a lump of metal about as big as a marble.

Suddenly, as if given a signal, the siblings shot outward in all directions. Every adversary was flung against the walls, and Argentum grew a silver arm to pick up a few papers that had previously lay abandoned on the floor. "We have what we have come for," he said, his voice resonant.

"We will meet again, Guardians," Arum spat. They slithered away, leaving the girls and company in the rubble.

Will surveyed the damage with a critical eye, but all that came out was, "Wow."

"Looks like my room," said Irma.

Phillip got to his feet, face pale. "Dang," he murmured. Then he walked over to the prone forms of the snake and the spider. "Guys, I know you're just acting. Come on, get up lazy bums. And shift back, would you?"

The snake man was first to move, pushing himself up on his arms. Green lightning surrounded him, and suddenly a man with a long blond ponytail was kneeling in his place. He wore a simple white button up shirt and black pants, and had glasses. He flipped himself over so that he was on his back and propped up on his hands.

The spider's hair retracted, revealing a little Asian girl in a cream colored jacket and a green skirt. Phillip held out his hands to them and they stood. Phillip grinned and flung an arm over both their shoulders. "Guardians, Passling, other dude, meet Cedric and Miranda. Cedric and Miranda, meet Guardians, Passling, and other dude. Speaking of other dude, what's your name?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Phillip rolled his eyes. "Because I'm an ally. A valuable one, at that. In case you didn't know already, my name is Phillip."

Caleb relented. "I'm Caleb."

Cedric blinked. "The rebel leader? What are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same question."

"Oh come off it," Miranda rolled her eyes. "If we were in Meridian, Cedric and I would be considered numbers two and three on Elyon's to-kill list."

"Why?"

"Why should we tell you?"

Caleb fumed. Hay Lin giggled and poked him in the shoulder. "He's so cute when he sulks!"

**-Reverse-**

Will held out the Heart and it began to glow. The blue portal started to shrink, and when it was closed they were back in their normal form. Will caught the crystal and smiled.

**-Reverse-**

Irma's father shone a flashlight around the city hall when he heard banging from a locker. He opened the door to find three teens, thugs, cowering inside.

"Blaaagh!"

"Don't eat us!"

"Is the giant snake gone?"

**-Reverse-**

The nine figures made their way back to the Silver Dragon while wondering aloud.

"Birth records," murmured Taranee.

"For guys in their late teens. Who could she be looking for?"

"She's looking for her brother," said Miranda with an unnoticeable glance at Phillip. "Phobos, the true heir to Meridian. She's trying to get him back."

"Speaking of coming back," said Irma looking behind herself, "what made you change your mind, Corny?"

Cornelia poked Phillip in the back of the head. "Grandpa here stalked me for a while and pestered me until I tried to make a tree grow."

Phillip growled. "Just because my hair is white doesn't make me a senior citizen."

"Whatever gramps. Anyway, it worked, and I exercised my powers until I was up to speed. I was going to approach you guys eventually. And I know that this is a bit late, but sorry. I was _not_ nice to you guys."

"Apology mostly accepted," said Taranee. "You'll still have to wait a while for full recognition."

Cornelia smiled. "Thanks."

Phillip gradually slowed down until he was at the back of the group. When he got there he called out. "Well guys, see you. I got to get home, or Gertrude will freak."

They all waved and Phillip smiled. The Guardians were back together.

**-Reverse-**

Elyon stood at the edge of her balcony, absently playing with a thin dagger. Arum and Argentum knelt behind her.

"We have found the information necessary to locate your sister," said Argentum.

Elyon smiled. "Then perhaps it is time to start planning a family reunion." Without a warning she threw the dagger with lightning fast speed. It impaled itself in an unfortunate bird that had swooped too low, and the feathered creature toppled out of the sky. Elyon's eyes followed it disdainfully, and it fell to the ground to never be seen again.

**-Reverse-**

Eventually Cedric and Miranda split from the group as well, and the six arrived back at the Silver Dragon to find music and colorful lights coming through the open windows. They opened the door and saw Yan Lin standing and waiting worriedly among a disco ball that was situated on the floor and several large speakers. As they walked in her face lit up and she embraced them all. She turned down the music and asked for the whole story. Hay Lin and Irma took over for the main part, animatedly recounting the tale. When they were finished Yan Lin smiled and suggested that they boogie.

And who were they to refuse?

Of course, Caleb tried, but Hay Lin yanked him to his feet and into the flashing lights. Her giggles were infectious, and soon they were all dancing and laughing. Even Caleb.

As they all wound down and started to clean up, Irma tossed an arm over Will's shoulder. "Happy birthday, Pink Perky Pookie Pumpkin."

"You know what would be a great birthday present?" Will gave a strained smile. "For you to never. Say that. Again."

"Whatever Pookie."

Will sighed. Some things, apparently, were too much to ask for.

**-Reverse-**

"Elyon has the information. She is closer than ever to finding you."

Phobos sighed and looked at Cedric tiredly. "I know. And the Guardians will figure me out eventually as well. They won't appreciate being lied to."

"Well they'll have to understand," said Miranda. "You had every right and reason."

"I know, but they still won't be happy. The rebel leader especially."

"You have no choice."

"Have I ever?"

There was silence for the rest of the night, but everyone knew the answer.

**A/N- so, tell me what you think! Corny's back! Yay! Cedric and Miranda have made an appearance and the plot begins to thicken! Yay!**

**-Dragon**


	6. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the late update, but I am friggin stressed. I had to get up at 5:00 AM Saturday to go up with my dad and his friends to Cuyuna, to crew for them in a bike race. The management of the race had no organization skills and we ended up being there until 8:00 PM and since it was a two hour drive and we made stops we got home at 11:00 PM. I didn't get to sleep until 11:30 and woke up yesterday morning to my mom and dad rushing me to get dressed because we're going on a bike ride. I had about ten minutes to go from vegetative, coma-like state to biker-who-is-ready-to-bike-for-two-hours. **

**Whoops, needed to vent. **

**My Cornelia hating (in this story at least) will now cease. In fact, I am doing something kind for her and getting her out of helping kindergarteners. Nobody deserves that, not even Corny.**

**I've pretty much reinvented Martin. I like him this way, and if he were really like this he and Irma might have ended up together in canon. **

**I apologize ahead of time if anyone in the audience has a problem with Christianity. It is only mentioned in passing, but these days people get touchy at the tiniest things. **

Chapter 5

"The list that you and your sister found of those born in the Earth town will help us refine our search, Argentum."

The silver creature thrashed his tail. "Strange, that it's so hard to find one teen."

"Not at all." Elyon's eyes slid to the side, where she could just barely make out a platinum colored blob. Her hands rested on a balcony railing, and she had previously been surveying the shrouded lands that she ruled. "We must not forget, my brother is far from dull. He will have gone to lengths to conceal himself, and he would have had help from Galgheita. His magic is powerful, very powerful, and he is undoubtedly living under a false identity." She reached out and stroked the head of one of the gargoyles on the parapet. It moved, revealing itself to be a living creature, and rubbed its head into her touch. "He knows his identity. This whole plan would be so much easier if I were the elder. But alas, it is not so, and we must find a way to use his knowledge against him." She faced Argentum. "Fetch your sister. I have a mission in which you will need to pass as human."

Argentum smiled.

**-Reverse-**

"And I now present to you our new history teacher, Professor Dean Collins!"

The five Guardians, sitting in the front row, applauded. A middle aged man with tawny hair and a bushy moustache took the podium as the principal vacated the position. "Thank you, and good morning. I've been told that Sheffield prides itself on sharpening young minds and developing your sense of community. That's why this year we will be holding community service day a month early!"

Gasps echoed throughout the room. What? A month early? Horrified disbelief was etched on every face- except for Will's. The redhead looked around, wondering what everyone was so worked up about. The girls, especially Cornelia, looked devastated, and every person looked as though Mr. Collins had just kicked their puppy. Community service couldn't be that bad, could it?

"I was impressed to hear that you love community service so much that you rush to school early on signup day!"

**-Reverse-**

"Oh no! Community service day stinks!" Hay Lin's lament was delivered dramatically, with abundant had gestures to emphasize her point. "I think I'm going to stand in the parking lot all night with a pen in my hand!"

Taranee was slumped. "Maybe I'll sleep in my locker."

Will voiced her confusion. "Guys, what's the big deal about community service day?"

The others led her up to a bulletin board. "Okay," said Irma, "tomorrow morning there's going to be a list on this board. Four hundred jobs for four hundred kids."

"And out of those," said Cornelia, "maybe ten won't totally stink."

"And," added Hay Lin, "The last kids to sign up get the most gagorific ones!"

"It can't be that bad . . ."

"Oh no? Try monkey bar scraper at the zoo." Cornelia's face contorted at the memory. "The monkeys thought my hair was a banana."

"Hey, you had it easy," said Irma. "I was a sewer ladder painter! Rats everywhere, and it totally reeked."

"Okay," said Will nervously, "got it. Get here early."

**-Reverse-**

Will stirred her soup and her spoon clinked against something metallic that wasn't the bowl. She peered in and could just make out the shape through the murky broth. "Mom, did you get a phone call while you were making this soup?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

Will lifted the phone out with her spoon. "Lucky guess."

"Oh." Susan looked down at her own soup. "Honey . . . what would you think if I started dating?"

Will ate a spoonful of soup. She made a face and pushed the bowl away. "Well if you meet a nice guy, I wouldn't feed him any home cooked meals right away."

**-Reverse-**

"We have adopted human identities in the town." Argentum and Arum knelt before Elyon.

"The search for my brother will go faster now. When our family history is written, his will be a tragic, yet eventful chapter. It is time for you to return."

Gold and silver eyes flashed green.

**-Reverse-**

_Dong ding._

_Our doorbell is weird, _thought Will. _It rings backwards. You always hear about the ding before the dong, but ours puts the dong before the ding. Ding dong is stereotypical actually, it's racist to doorbell kind. Now if the authors started writing dong-_ "Professor Collins?!"

He grinned cheerily. "Hello Will."

She panicked, her mind rifling through the past few days. What did she do? There was that bad math grade . . . but Professor Collins was a history teacher, he wouldn't be here for that. Would he? No. What was it? She'd blurted an answer on accident once, but he hadn't said anything at the time. Was he here for that now? "Whatever you're hereto tell my mom, I'd like at least fifteen minutes to think of an excuse."

He laughed. "Oh, it's nothing like that." He peeked around the door and waved. "Good evening Susan."

Will's mom rushed to the door. "Dean! Hi!" She patted her hair down.

_Susan? Dean?_

Professor Collins held out a booklet. "Your mom joined the PTA, but she, ah, missed the last two meetings."

"So I asked Dean to bring over the material." She seemed like a flustered teenager, and Will gaped. "Why don't we talk in here?" Susan took the booklet and Professor Collins- Dean's arm and pulled him inside. Will let the door close, not noticing the slam as she stared after the two adults. Her mind felt like it was overloading.

_What just happened?_

**-Reverse-**

"Let's say . . . six AM." Cornelia clicked the button on her alarm clock. She placed it back on the nightstand and had one hand on the covers when Lillian appeared at the doorway waving a game box.

"Mom says you have to play Wobbly Wobbly Walrus with me!"

Cornelia stopped herself just as she was about to make a nasty remark regarding drop kicks and wolves. If she thought about it, Lillian would probably sneak into her room and turn off her alarm if she refused. She glanced at her clock. It was only nine, she could spare ten minutes. Torturous minutes, granted, but it was worth it if she got to school on time. She sighed. "Fine, but only ten minutes."

"Yay!"

Ten minutes later Cornelia was in bed, happily drifting off to sleep. It hadn't actually been that bad, and now Lillian had no reason to sabotage her plans.

_I really am a genius sometimes . . ._

**-Reverse-**

"Hey, what did you get?" Hay Lin ran up to Cornelia and Taranee.

"We got sealing envelopes at City Hall." Taranee grinned. "Easy street."

Hay Lin gestured back at the mass of kids. "Will and I got painting over graffiti."

Cornelia frowned. "Has anyone seen Irma?"

**-Reverse-**

_30 minutes ago_

"Mom, of all the days to go on a health kick-"

"Irma, it's good for you! Hey, where are you going! Young lady, you will stay here and drink your vegetable smoothie!"

"But I'm going to be late!"

"Now!"

**-Reverse-**

Irma ran into the school frantically, arms waving. She slammed her way through the crowd to get to the signup board. She blanched when she saw the options. Port-a-potty cleanup . . . sewer painting again (she shivered) . . . cleaning out the aviary at the zoo . . . her eyes alighted upon a not-so-bad option and she hurriedly scribbled her name on the slot. She sighed in relief. At least dumpsters weren't as bad as . . .

Oh no.

She checked again to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. No, it was really there.

Her partner was Martin. He wasn't too annoying, but he was a total loner and had an IQ about fifty points above everyone else. She had also caught a few hints that he had a crush on her.

_Crap_

**-Reverse-**

Irma came barreling out of the swarm looking sick. Cornelia pointed. "Found her! What'd you get?"

Irma groaned. "Dumpster scrubber. And guess who my partner is?"

"I have no idea," said Hay Lin, "but your expression seems to suggest that it is not a pleasant person. Uriah?"

"Martin!"

Taranee raised an eyebrow. "The genius? That's not too bad. And I hear he has a crush on you."

"Argh! Exactly!"

"I don't know what your problem is." Cornelia flipped her hair. "If he likes you, that's a good thing."

"Not if he's a genius. I'm going to drown here. In case you haven't noticed, my IQ is very much the average."

"Whatever."

**-Reverse-**

_Later_

"You know, we don't have to lick these. My mom uses a special sponge tongue at home, they must have them here." Cornelia skimmed her eyes over the shelves and Taranee breathed a sigh of relief. She hated to think how dry her tongue would be if they actually had to lick the envelopes. "There!"

Cornelia lifted the sponge tongues off the shelf and they set to work.

**-Reverse-**

"Ugh, this stinks."

"Literally or figuratively?"

"Both." Irma hurriedly set the nose plug into place, as did Martin. "Which one are we doing first?"

Martin pulled a map from his pocket, divided into twelve squares with a red X in each. "We'll start from this end of town, and work our way through in a grid pattern. We'll cover each dumpster, then end up back at the school after the last one."

Irma squinted. "Like a snake?"

Martin blinked. "I suppose you could put it like that. So yeah, let's go.

**-Reverse-**

Will and Hay Lin stood in oversized overalls, running paint rollers up and down the walls of a train station. Will's face was stuck in a sullen expression.

"You're in a grumpy mood," observed Hay Lin.

Will snorted. "You would be too if your mom was making goo-goo eyes at your history teacher."

"Really? Go Will's mom!"

Will slumped further.

"I hear teenagers come here to make out. Suppose your mom will come here with Collins?"

"My life is over."

Hay Lin stopped painting and frowned as she noticed strange characters in green paint on the wall. "Hey Will, what kind of writing is that?"

Will walked over and took a look. She peered at the symbols and they started to blur . . .

They smeared and glowed, peeling off the wall and into the air. They danced around her head in circles, spinning crazily. Colors shifted and blurred, sounds filtered to her ears as if she were underwater, snippets of voices and conversations vied for her attention. The symbols swirled faster and faster, buzzing all around her, leaping as they did the Viennese Waltz. She smelled grass, and pizza, and paint, and pines, and sweat laced breath. Her brain overloaded.

Hay Lin gasped as Will wobbled. "Will, are you okay?" She fell, holding her head, to the ground. "Will!"

Hay Lin hurriedly pulled a pen from her pocket and copied the symbols onto her arm and ran to fetch Caleb.

**-Reverse-**

The world was fuzz.

Everything was fuzzy, even sounds. Will had no idea how it was possible, but everything was coated in a layer of fluff. Her memories were smudges of color and blips of static, and echoes of conversation made their way to her aching head as though through a tunnel filled with stuffing.

Gradually they grew clearer, and she decided that no, the world was not fluff. It was growing sharper, and she began to make sense of the words she was hearing.

"-saw this funny writing and went down like a sack of potatoes!"

She opened her eyes and was overtaken by blurriness.

"What did this writing look like?"

"Oh, I copied it."

". . . These letters are not of this world."

"I've seen this writing in the castle, but I can't read it."

Will was fully aware now, and that was Caleb. The door at the top of the stairs opened and Cornelia and Taranee walked in.

"Where is she? Is she alright?"

Will nodded to Taranee. "I'm fine. Where's Irma?"

Cornelia and Irma shared glances. "Dumpster diving."

**-Reverse-**

_1 Hour ago_

"This is nasty." Irma knelt on the balls of her feet at the bottom of a dumpster, Martin to her left. They scrubbed with the sponges, and Irma was extremely glad for the gloves. The sponges had started out yellow, and were now a greenish brown.

"I agree. It seriously reeks." Martin clambered out of the dumpster and dunked his sponge in the bucket of filthy water. He gave a wry laugh. "For all my smarts, I couldn't get past my sister and out of the house on community service day."

Irma groaned. "Try a mom on a health kick. Not only could I not get out, but she made me drink something that I'm pretty sure came from the bottom of someone's shoe."

"Maddie had me at the door and wouldn't move until I helped her with her math homework. Honestly, it was painful. I'm not allowed to just tell her the answers; I have to help her figure them out. The kid is in first grade, you can imagine how little fun it was."

Irma laughed. "I'm lucky enough to be an only child, but Corny's sister drives her nuts. Lillian is one devious little kid."

"I pity her." Martin grinned and climbed back into the dumpster. "Don't go wishing for a sibling for Christmas. You'll regret it."

There was comfortable silence for the rest of the time spent at that dumpster (which happened to be #3) and as they walked through the streets to the next one Irma remarked, "You know, you don't act like a genius."

Martin looked at her quizzically. "What does a genius act like?"

"You know," Irma made a vague gesture with her hands. "Holier-than-thou, you're an idiot for not having a super-IQ, really formal speech, stuff like that."

He shook his head. "Just because a person is smart and knows it doesn't mean they have an inflated ego. For all of our intellect, there is an equal amount of lacking. I, for example, absolutely suck at anything physical. The only reason my gym class grade isn't in that dumpster back there," he gestured back where they'd come from, "is because half of it is worksheets and the other half is participation. If we were actually graded on our level of athleticism I would be pulling an F."

"What about Elli Franken? She's seriously smart and a great runner."

"Socially inept. Have you ever seen her hold a conversation for more than ten seconds?"

"Now that I think about it, no."

"And there's your answer." Martin set the bucket down with a thunk and leaped away just in time to avoid the water that sloshed out. "You know, after we're done with this one we might want to get new water and scrubbers."

Irma looked at the puddle, which was a vile color to match the sponges. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

**-Reverse-**

Caleb peered at the symbols on Hay Lin's arm. "I know who can translate this. But we have to visit the Infinite City."

"Call Irma. We all need to be here for this."

**-Reverse-**

Irma and Martin hefted the water bucket, spilling the final few gallons of putrid water into the already-disgusting brook by the school. They pulled off their gloves and Irma grinned. "Finally, we're done. That was gross. Next year mom's sudden bout of insanity is going to have to wait, because now I smell like a sewer rat."

Martin smirked. "At least it wasn't port-a-potties."

Irma groaned. "Yeah, good point." Her phone trilled and she fished it out of her pocket. "Yeah?"

"Irma! Hi! Yeah, we kind of have a Guardian situation on our hands; get down to the old train station near the junkyard ASAP. Oh yeah, this is Hay Lin. Bye!"

Irma blinked and hit the 'end call' button. " . . . I guess I have to go. See you around?"

"Sure," said Martin. "See you." She started to walk away. "Hey!" She turned back. "You think that maybe we could, you know, hang out some time?"

Irma's mouth turned up in one corner. "We'll see."

Then she walked away.

**-Reverse-**

A half hour and two different bus rides later they were all (minus Yan Lin) standing at the old train station staring at a blank wall. Hay Lin frowned. "It was right here!" She pointed at the wall.

Taranee's nose wrinkled. "What's that smell?"

Irma growled. "Dumpster. The reason I hate community service day. Drop the subject."

Will bit her lip and frowned. She turned and laid the map out on the ground, holding the Heart close. An X appeared right by where they were. Her eyebrows shot up. "What's that?" She mentally calibrated the map to their surroundings. She looked to her right and into the dark tunnel. Her eyes narrowed.

They all walked to stand at the entrance. Will held the Heart out. "Guardians, Unite!"

Caleb held a hand in front of his face and squinted as the light flared, filling the tunnel and turning it bright as day. Granted, a day with a pink sun, but still. Really, really bright.

A moment later the girls were in full Guardian getup and ready to go. The group filed down the tunnel. Will pointed. "There!" They leaped into the air and landed in front of the portal.

Irma walked up and stuck her hand in. She giggled. "Do you have any idea how much David Copperfield would pay for this?"

Taranee's eyes widened and she pointed into the blue. "Something's coming through!" She lit her fists as they all took to the air. "Fire!"

Irma jumped backward and a ring of water almost like a hula hoop appeared around her. "Water!"

Hay Lin brandished a loose piece of pipe, and wind circled around the metal to reinforce it and emphasize any impact. "Air!"

Cornelia called up two massive boulders from the ground. "Earth!"

Lightning crackled around Will's fingertips. "Quintessence!"

The dark shape in the circle of light grew larger, until a zapping noise echoed through the tunnel and a familiar figure tumbled through. Blunk skidded to a stop and giggled. He held up a bag. "Dragon nostrils? Trade for curly rings. Good deal, yes."

The girls released their elements and fluttered to the ground. Cornelia looked skeptical. "Dragon nostrils?"

Blunk opened the bag and massive amounts of black smoke billowed out. "Make good hat- once it stop smoking."

The smell reached them and they all covered their noses. "Eew!"

Blunk grinned obliviously.

**-Reverse-**

The portal crackled as Hay Lin stepped through. Caleb gestured and the girls, sans the Air Guardian, followed. Hay Lin looked at her hand that was still holding the metal pipe. "Huh, guess I don't need this anymore." She tossed it carelessly over her shoulder and it passed through the portal.

On the other side, the pipe bounced across the floor of the tunnel and smacked Blunk hard on the back of the head.

Caleb led the way through a place that looked rather like a junkyard. "Well, I think we've found Blunk's vacation home," said Irma.

Caleb pointed to the ruins of a wooden wagon. "In here."

"Uh," said Taranee uncertainly, "in where?" Caleb smacked the wagon and a door creaked open. Taranee's mouth snapped shut.

They walked hurriedly along a passage and exited in an enormous . . . well, they weren't sure what to call it. Pillars were every twenty five feet or so, evenly spaced in a grid like pattern. Irma was reminded of the way that Martin had divided the map. Caleb broke into a run. "No-one knows who built the infinite city. Four thousand years and nobody's found an end to it in any direction." He stopped at a pillar and placed his hand on a piece of the design. Part of the floor slid open to reveal another staircase.

Cornelia slumped. "More stairs? Don't you have some sort of . . . stone escalator?"

Caleb snorted, shaking his head and beginning the descent. "Girls."

A minute later they emerged into a large cavern full of blue light. The illumination seemed to be coming from a huge waterfall in the center. Caleb brought them out to the edge of a pier and placed a finger to his lips. He knelt. "Ancient One, we need your help."

"Ah," a rasping voice came from the waterfall, and a shadowy silhouette appeared in the water. "You are the Guardians of the Veil."

"Yes sir- I-I mean, yes ma'am." Will stuttered slightly.

The shape came forward from the water, a cloaked woman with ashen gray skin. "And the message?" Hay Lin hopped forward and held out her arm. "Ah, the writing of the beasts."

"What does it say?"

The sorceress held out a hand and the letters glowed orange. She gestured at Hay Lin's other arm, and the Air Guardian saw that equally bright English words were there. She held them up. "You are still undetected, begin your search for the Prince."

"The beast is in your town in human form." The sorceress knelt in front of Hay Lin and pulled off her hood, revealing that she had no hair. "It will try to get close to you, Guardians."

Will's eyes widened. "How can you tell a beast from a human?"

The sorceress stood, placing her hood back up. "Touch a beast with the Heart of Kandracar, and it shows its true form." She sank back into the waterfall, leaving them with those grave words.

Back on the surface Will turned to the others. "When we're back on Earth, call Phillip, Cedric and Miranda. Hay Lin's grandma seemed to trust them and we're going to need all the help we can get."

**-Reverse-**

"Are you serious? Professor Collins? He's too boring to be evil." Irma was incredulous.

Caleb put a finger to his chin. "Who is this Collins?"

The girls, Caleb, Phillip, Cedric and Miranda took up two booths at a small diner in town. "Will's history teacher," said Taranee.

Phillip raised an eyebrow. "You know, a beast from Meridian wouldn't exactly have much knowledge of Earth history, definitely not enough to teach it."

Taranee snorted. "How about Cedric and Miranda? They seem to fit in perfectly well here."

Cedric shook his head. "That's because for the last six or so years we've been adjusting to this culture."

"You wouldn't believe how odd we were when we first came," said Miranda. "Cedric tried to eat a live rat that he caught in a coffee shop."

Cedric glared. "Like you were better. You thought raisins were flies."

Miranda gave him a nasty look. "They were on top of frog cupcakes, how was I supposed to know?"

Will interrupted the squabble. "We know Elyon is looking for her brother. He's a seventeen year old guy. How do you get close to seventeen year old Earth guys?"

Hay Lin sipped her drink. "Become a box of donuts!"

Will leaned down. "You get a job as a teacher!"

Taranee's eyes widened. "So you can get a look at the targets one by one!"

Caleb tried to interject. "But if Phobos is seventeen he wouldn't be at your school, would he? He'd be at the high school."

They didn't even seem to hear him. "Okay," Will put a finger to her chin. "My mom's attractive in a funky, old-person kind of way, but unless Collins is an evil beast, why else would he talk to her?!"

"And," Cornelia leaned forward, "it would explain why he made community day earlier-"

"-to separate us and watch us one at a time!" finished Irma.

Hay Lin stood. "We should follow him!"

Caleb rested his forehead on his fingertips. "Girls, please, let me suggest another plan-" The door jingled and he saw five shadows through the widows. He sighed and turned to Phillip, Cedric and Miranda. They all looked as exasperated as he felt. "Why didn't you stop them?"

Phillip rested his head against the table tiredly and spoke into the wood. "Because you and I are only human, and Cedric and Miranda can't do anything in a public place. Nothing can stop a girl when she has made up her mind to do something, much less five of them with powers over the elements."

Caleb couldn't argue with that.

**-Reverse-**

Hay Lin leaned against the wall outside of the store that Collins was inside at the moment. He exited and walked away, and she crossed the street to where the others were waiting.

"What did he buy?" asked Taranee.

"Glue," said Hay Lin breathlessly.

"Glue for what," said Phillip, rolling his eyes, "putting it on the bottoms of his victim's shoes to hold them?"

"_Glue,_" said Cornelia, "for gluing on his realistic rubber human face!"

The others looked disgusted and Caleb groaned.

**-Reverse-**

Collins walked out of another shop, and Hay Lin ran to the alley to the others. "Live crickets! Like, two pounds of them!"

Cedric and Miranda mentally flagged the store in their minds as a good place for lunch.

"That's way too much for fishing," said Taranee.

"But not too much," said Irma slowly, "to eat."

"EEW!"

Will peeked out from behind one of the buildings. "No wonder he liked my mom's cooking!"

"Look," said Caleb, "maybe he's got a pet lizard."

Taranee scoffed. "Yeah right. I don't want to judge anybody before all the evidence is in . . ." there were murmurs of agreement, "but it's obvious that Collins is a face-gluing, bug-eating, brain sucker!"

Phillip objected. "Even if someone's a beast doesn't mean they're a brain sucker. That's racist." **(There's a really good W.I.T.C.H. version of Everyone's a Little Bit Racist on YouTube, search it. Amidoh did a great job; it actually looks like the characters are speaking. Even if you haven't seen Avenue Q, it's a really fun song.) **As usual, the voice of reason was ignored, and the girls pumped their fists. Phillip sighed and looked at Caleb. "Why are we even here?"

Caleb shook his head.

**-Reverse-**

"We don't even know if this guy is coming here!" Caleb tried one last-ditch attempt to dissuade them. The he and the girls were hiding behind bushes on either side of the sidewalk that led up to the door of Will's apartment building. Phillip had gotten a notice from his legal guardian that if he wasn't home soon he would be in 'severe trouble young man'. Apparently Gertrude was scary, because he had left immediately, Cedric and Miranda close behind.

No luck. Collins exited the taxi cab and started up to the door. "What do you need to see?" Irma said disbelievingly. "His monster ID card?"

Across the path Will pulled out the Heart. It glowed, and light took over.

**-Reverse-**

Dean Collins was a sane man.

He didn't believe in magic, or voodoo, or superpowers. He was Christian, and believed in God and Heaven, but that was it. He didn't buy into mind readers, and walked past fortune tellers without a second glance.

But on his way to visit Susan, he started questioning himself.

On the front step of the building, he suddenly saw pink light coming from behind him. He turned, thinking it was some teenage prank, to see five figures hovering in the air. They were encased in spheres of pink, blue, pale green, orange and yellow, and symbols blazed. The light evaporated and he saw . . . he wasn't sure what he saw.

If he trusted what his brain was telling him, he thought that he was seeing older versions of his students, Will, Irma, Hay Lin, Taranee and Cornelia. These older versions were human-sized fairy creatures, with wings, wearing purple and blue outfits. They landed, and FairyCornelia grinned viciously. "Not so fast, brain sucker!"

Brain sucker? What did she mean, brain sucker? Unless you considered smoothies brains, he had never consumed a single brain tissue in his life. Wait, why was he reading into this? He was obviously hallucinating . . .

He was assured of his insanity when he saw that FairyTaranee was holding a fireball and not getting burned. Now that he thought about it, she had come out of the orange light-bubble . . . There he went again.

"Bet you didn't expect that, did you buddy," said FairyIrma. Dean wasn't sure what she meant- the fire, the fairy-ness, the brain sucker comment or this whole hallucination in general.

He decided to stop reprimanding himself for thinking of the vision as conscious beings. If he did, he'd be scolding himself so much he'd grow an alternate personality.

FairyIrma put her hands out in front of her and a huge get of water came out. It smashed Dean in the face and he thought absently through the major ouch-factor that she had, of course, come out of the blue bubble.

He was thrown into the yard, and FairyCornelia smiled. "Have a seat!" The ground rippled. Yellow bubble. Of course. He was starting to get the connection. Orange=fire, blue=water, yellow=earth, so the pale green was . . .

A whirlwind yanked him up into the sky before vanishing and leaving him into freefall.

. . . Air. FairyHay Lin.

Just before he hit the ground FairyTaranee swooped in and grabbed his ankle and started swinging him in a circle, as if she were winding up to throoooooooooooooo-!

**-Reverse-**

Will stood over the unconscious Collins with a grin on her face. "Let's see what you look like with metal skin and a tail." She tapped the Heart to his forehead, and for a moment he hovered above the ground. Then he fell back down, human as ever.

Will backed off and stared in disbelief, and Hay Lin grabbed Collins's face. She tugged, and pulled, and yanked. "This is really glued on tight!"

Taranee walked over to the papers that the man had dropped, rifling through them. Cornelia put her hands on her hips. "What is it? Being Evil for Dummies?"

"Information for the Sheffield PTA," said Taranee flatly.

"Elyon joined the PTA?"

Will slumped. "No. But my mom did."

Caleb looked self satisfied. "I think the phrase you're all looking for is 'you were right, Caleb.'"

**-Reverse-**

The wheelbarrow squeaked and Collins's foot dragged on the ground slightly as Will, no longer in Guardian form, pushed him uphill. Cornelia hmphed. "Well it serves him right for that surprise test last week!"

"Uh," said Will nervously, "let's just get him home so he can sleep it off."

Caleb mumbled his aggravations to the unconscious teacher. "Tried to warn 'em, but hey, girls. It's like talking to firewood."

Taranee bit her lip. "I can't believe we zapped our history teacher."

"But we did," said Hay Lin cheerfully. "See, he's right here!"

"Uh, Hay Lin, it's an expression." Irma lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh! Like, there's a police car?"

Taranee frowned. "That's not an expression."

Hay Lin shook her head. "No, but there's a police car." She pointed and sure enough, a police cruiser with flashing lights zoomed by at the upcoming intersection.

They all froze, and then dashed into the bushes separating one of the houses from the street. There was a splash, and the next moment found Collins floating.

"Wow," said Irma dryly, "Mrs. Coraldo has a swimming pool." They worked together to pull the wheelbarrow out of the water.

Collins flopped around slightly, and Hay Lin giggled. "Look, he's dreaming he's swimming!"

"Gee, now he's wet, maybe his glued on face will come off easier," said Caleb sarcastically.

**-Reverse-**

Phobos, Cedric and Miranda walked through the door at Phobos's place, and they were met with a very anxious Galgheita. She was in her human form, and her face was extremely worried.

"I felt a tremor. Elyon has sent Arum and Argentum here."

Faces grave, the three nodded. "We were with the Guardians," Phobos said quietly, locking the door tightly and drawing all the window shades. "They incorrectly assumed that a history teacher at their school was the beast. They wouldn't listen to reason however, and I assume are trying this very minute to patch over their mistake."

"Such assumptions are dangerous," Cedric murmured. "It makes it very clear that they are inexperienced." They all moved to the kitchen and sat around the table.

"Phobos," said Miranda hesitantly, "I know we decided against it before, but perhaps we should tell them? Only the Earth Guardian knows you have powers, and if we informed them perhaps you could use them to find Arum and Argentum."

Phobos sighed tiredly. "But we are drawn back to the fact that they have little experience in our world. The things Elyon would do to extract the information . . . they have no resistance. The rebel leader, perhaps, could be entrusted, but if he leaked the news to the rest of the rebellion the women and children could be targeted for their vulnerability to my sister's methods."

Galgheita's eyes were sad. "I knew Elyon as a little girl, and there was no inkling of the monster she would become. To this day I wonder what happened to the child with the smile that could light up a room, and who would make daisy chains for the servants. She must be beyond dark to target young ones to find and destroy one man."

Miranda looked down at her fingers, twiddling them mindlessly. "Every day I wonder what would have happened if she hadn't changed. I remember her when she was small. She loved butterflies."

Cedric shifted in his seat. "She would come up on the ramparts with the guards and myself and watch the village from above. She would stare at the people for hours. I think the everyday lives fascinated her."

Phobos interlocked his fingers and rested his forehead on them wearily. "My sister was loving, she loved life. She had a terrarium, filled with exotic plants. She cared for them as though she was their own mother, and she always seemed so mature for such a young child. She loved our parents, she loved me, and I loved her. I still don't understand . . . I-I still don't know how such an innocent girl could become that . . . that . . . that _creature_!" He laughed bitterly. "Was it my fault? Did something I do push her to the edge?"

"Stop that!" Galgheita said sharply. "It was not your doing."

He looked up to meet her gaze and she saw that his eyes were filled with barely suppressed tears. "Then whose was it? Who took my sister away from me?" His voice was hoarse. "I still love her. I love the girl she used to be." His fists clenched, and the all-consuming sadness gave way to anger. "I hate the monster that killed my sister. And by the Goddess I swear, I will end it. I will free my people and avenge a child who never stood a chance."

His stare traveled around the table, and each of his companions shuddered in turn. His eyes were filled with blazing conviction.

And none of them doubted his words.

**-Reverse-**

Collins was once again in the wheelbarrow, and Hay Lin dug his wallet out of his pocket. "What does his license say," Will asked.

"Um . . ." Hay Lin rifled through the contents of the wallet and pulled out the little card. "He's 5'10" and he needs to wear glasses."

"His address!"

"Oh! Cedar Terrace."

Taranee drooped. "That's five miles from here, and uphill! Can't we transform and fly him?"

"Hey," said Caleb sharply, "you're only supposed to transform for emergencies."

Irma glowered. "Well what do you call pushing a wet, unconscious man up a hill in a wheelbarrow at midnight!?" She walked forward, poking her finger into Caleb's chest, and didn't realize that she'd released the wheelbarrow until it thunked to the ground. She winced as Collins's head hit the pavement. "Sorry."

Caleb folded his arms. "It would be unnecessary if you'd listened to me."

**-Reverse-**

Minutes later they were flying through the air with Cornelia, Will and Hay Lin holding Collins.

"Well," said Taranee swooping ahead, "at least nothing can go wrong up here."

Apparently she'd jinxed it. Just as she spoke, a flock of birds slammed into the five of them and Collins slipped from their grasp. He tumbled through the air, rocketing toward the ground-

_BOING!_

Hay Lin giggled loudly. "Look, the Maertens have a trampoline!"

_SPLASH!_

Irma's eye twitched. "And a swimming pool."

_WOOF WOOF WOOF!_

"And a dog," Taranee deadpanned.

**-Reverse-**

Four of five girls held the unconscious, wet man with bedraggled hair, pants torn off at the knees, and a ripped shirt. Will, the one _not_ holding the poor teacher, rang the buzzer to Collins's apartment. They were let in, and they returned to their normal appearance after crossing the threshold. Without the added height they were unable to hold the unconscious man as easily and the sudden weight caused them to partially drop him.

The elevator dinged and an elderly woman stepped off. Her eyes widened. "Oh! Is that our Mister Collins? When are you going to show me that dance move you promised?"

Will, who had Collins's left arm over the back of her neck, laughed nervously. "H-he was just showing us, right girls?" Irma, on the other side of him, shook her head. Will, desperate, hopped slightly. "And a one, and a two." Irma decided that it was in her best interest to play along and moved him around on her own side.

The old woman clapped.

**-Reverse-**

_Thud_

Collins hit the chair heavily, and Hay Lin got sparkles in her eyes. "Aw, he's so peaceful!"

Irma rolled her eyes. "He should have five girls zap him unconscious and throw him to dogs more often."

Taranee peered into the glass tank on one end of the room. Inside, a lizard munched on a bug. "Cricket mystery solved. Mister Scales."

"Okay," said Will urgently, "We lock the door, fly out the window, have his car towed, and put the papers in his desk. He'll think he dreamed it!"

"Uh," said Taranee, "what about his clothes?"

Cornelia held up the bag of crickets. "Loose the crickets and free the lizard so he thinks Mister Scales did it?"

Will gave a laugh. "That's crazy! Do it."

When the sun rose, Collins looked like something out of a jungle.

**-Reverse-**

The next morning Alchemy passed Professor Collins and noticed that he looked extremely tired. "Are you okay, Professor Collins?"

He groaned and held his head as Hay Lin came up behind Alchemy. "Last night I had a dream that I was attacked by evil fairies." He decided not to mention that they looked like his students and had powers over the elements color coded to light bubbles. No need to sound _too_ crazy.

Hay Lin piped up. "I have that dream all the time!"

"Then this morning I woke up and my lizard was trying to eat me!"

Will crept behind Hay Lin. "Everything cool?"

Hay Lin gave the thumbs up.

Will's eyes narrowed. "Now the only problem is, if Collins wasn't the beast, then who is?"

**-Reverse-**

"Hey, Martin!"

Martin almost dropped his books. He turned to see Irma waving him down from across the schoolyard. She ran up to him.

"Hey."

He blinked. "Hey. What's up?"

"Uh, not much. Anyway, I was kind of wondering if I could take you up on your offer? Like, if you wanted to go to a movie or something?"

Despite his genius it took a minute for him to register the meaning of her words. When he finally got it, a blinding grin spread across his face.

"Sure. I hear they've got then new Larry Saucepan **(LOL, Harry Potter rip-off :P) **in theaters. Have you seen those?"

Irma nodded. "I'm not a crazy fan or anything, but they were pretty good. Meet you at six?"

He nodded. "Popcorn's on me. See you there."

He walked away with a noticeable spring in his step and Irma's own smile appeared.

**-Reverse-**

"So . . . mom. You were never interested in Mister Collins?"

Will and Taranee sat at the table at Will's house with bowls of soup. Susan shook her head. "Please. He's so unreliable. He was supposed to drop off some papers last night, but he never showed."

"You know," said Will, forcing herself not to grimace at the soup as she took a sip, "I don't mind you dating . . ."

Taranee took a spoonful of soup and gagged. "Maybe a nice short-order cook?"

Susan grabbed a folder off the counter. "Who has the time? I have to go, I have an emergency block meeting. Seems someone's been swimming in all the neighborhood pools."

The door swung shut and there was an awkward silence.

**-Reverse-**

Twin snakes of silver slithered into the back room of a bookstore. Light flashed, and a pair of casually dressed humans walked out. They grinned twin predatory grins, and the male walked to the front of the shop to flip the Closed sign to Open.

**A/N- Whoa, super long chapter. It's about 1,300 words longer than my previous record. Wow. **

**I'm not sure what the Meridianites believe in, so I gave them a Goddess. Nothing major, only mentioned once by Phobos, but anyway.**

**Phobos's deal with the avenging thing. In his mind, his sister was killed by the evil girl that now sits on the throne. Though he may call her his sister, that is because of her form. In essence he believes that his sister is dead, or at least locked away by the current Elyon. To my head it makes sense, if you get it you're crazy as I am. **

**Larry Saucepan, LOL.**

**Does anyone in the audience feel that the Irma/Martin is forced? If it is, tell me how I can fix it. Please. I suck at romance. **

**-Dragon**


	7. Farewell

Hey guys, totally sad right now. I was being lazy for a while on this story and now it's come back to bite me in the butt. I was finally getting going on a character development chapter where it was entirely original and didn't have an episode outline (which was fairly difficult, mind you) and I was really happy, but now our computer I was writing from isn't working. I turn it on and it makes a weird buzzing noise and the cursor onscreen doesn't respond to the mouse. It's a dinosaur of a computer, with a gigantic monitor separate from a gigantic actual computer and takes up about six square feet of space, so it's probably been on it's last hurrah for a while now. Anyway, the point is thus. Until we a) get it fixed b) get a new family computer or c) I save up enough money to buy myself a laptop, I won't be updating either story. Well, I wasn't updating DD, so no loss there, but I'm seriously bummed about RR. This sucks, because A will probably take at least a month, B at least two or three, and C, the most appealing option, about a year or more. Yeah, it's totally sucky. I could write from my iPod Touch like I am right now, but my writing quality plummets and it's a serious pain in unmentionable places. Sure, if you want short and crappy chapters go ahead, but you probably don't. So I shall now announce it- Kage no Ryunin is Hiatus-ing for a long while. Oh god, I almost want to cry. I love this story and wish I had the resources to continue. I bid all my followers a fond (and hopefully temporary) farewell, and may I just say . . . Arigatou. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please don't remove me from alert, or when I someday resume you will be left out. Gomen Nasai. I'm very sorry, but . . . Owari da. It's over. . . . for now. -Kage no Ryunin, Dragon Ninja of the Shadows P.S.- I love drama too much for my own good. 


End file.
